


Power Rangers Elementalists: Redux

by Mathais



Category: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Power Rangers Turbo, Power Rangers Wild Force
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2005-10-04
Updated: 2012-09-30
Packaged: 2017-11-02 09:52:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 70,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/367696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mathais/pseuds/Mathais
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Justin moves to Boston, where he becomes involved in another battle for the Earth.  He must overcome the problems of the past in order to deal with the present and preserve the future.</p><p>A rewrite of an old story of mine.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Road Not Taken

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers in all of its incarnations, Justin and the others that you recognize belong to whoever owns legal ownership of them now. It's just everyone that you don't recognize that are mine. Nico had appeared in two-plus episodes of Turbo and Kayla, whose name I managed to confirm as opposed to my "Jessica" guess, was one of Rocky's students in Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers. Fred made his appearance in the movie featuring Ivan Ooze, and that movie will be referenced here as if it was canon, only the Ninjetti powers disappeared after the ending of the film, resulting in their need for Ninja powers. There will be more or less rolling disclaimers as more things pop up chapter-by-chapter.
> 
> Author's Notes: This is a revision of the old [Power Rangers Elementalists: Through the Eyes of the Young](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/1242242/1/Power_Rangers_Elementalists_TTEOTY), something not really worth reading. Generally, I'm pretty much changing the flow of the story. This one is more Justin-based rather than the 5/6th OC one from last time. I will be using characters you've seen before, just before their time. Remember Adriana, Jace, Alex, Lina, and Cassy? You probably won't be seeing much of them. As I've stated, I'm replacing them with characters that already exist, though probably one-shots, save for this one character who was a main character in one of the Power Ranger shows. That said, I hope people enjoy this one much more.

_Dear Journal,_

_Hey, it's me again.  We've been through so much together, here in this life in Angel Grove.  Through all the battles, all the shortcomings, you've stuck by me.  You've been my rock in these ever-changing times.  Even when the others left, all of them, from Rocky to TJ, Zordon to the Blue Senturion, you've been here with me.  My dad and I are going to be moving to Boston now.  My dad found a new job there, even though he promised that we wouldn't move.  I guess I just have to accept it; there's nothing I can do.  Maybe now, though, I can walk around without this pain in my heart.  I...  I miss them.  Everyone.  A lot.  Even though they abandoned me.  I guess that's just life._

_There've been explosions on the moon lately.  I'm worried about TJ and the others.  They had to do what they had to do.  It was my choice to stay behind; I can't blame them.  They probably don't know how to contact me either, not from space.  Not if they're going to Eltar.  I just hope that they're all right._

_Justin_

**OoOoO**

Justin breathed deeply, ignoring the sting in his eyes.  He was not going to cry, he really wasn't.  Writing down all his thoughts was what kept his sanity through the long years of loneliness and isolation.  Even so, seeing the words on the page made them all...  Real, in a sense.  And that realization made the emotions hard to bury.  He could feel the tears burn behind his eyes, ready to be released, but he refused to let them fall.  He'd cried enough.  Far too much.

There was a knock on the door, his dad, Doug Stewart, opening it after a few moments. "Hey Justin.  Are you ready to go?"

"Almost." He mentally winced at his tear-choked voice and cleared his throat.  Moving with a grace born from fighting, Justin carefully placed the few remaining pictures, dog-eared from repeated wearing, into his backpack and sealed it with the same care.  He stood, staring into the empty expanse of the room.

It was colored blue, something that was—had been—the physical representation of his power.  His **former** power.  The thought brought all the tears to the surface as he took a deep, shuddering breath.  The pain was still fresh.  Things happened too quickly for him to process, and he was still feeling some of the aftershocks.

He turned, wiping away the small tear which had managed to escape before it could trail along his cheek any farther. "I'm ready."

He didn't want to feel the emptiness anymore.  Justin knew deep in his heart that he was running away, but he couldn't figure out what else to do.  He wasn't strong.  He wasn't brave.  Those descriptions were for people like Rocky and Tommy and TJ, not for someone like him.

He descended the stairs of the house with a melancholy, ignoring the emptiness which echoed from the walls.  He didn't need it now, couldn't handle it.

With one hand, he swung open the door, letting the sunlight briefly warm him.  Two figures stepped in front of the door though—one, a boy, and the other, a girl.

"You're not planning on leaving without saying goodbye, are you?" asked the boy, folding his arms across his chest.

The girl adopted a similar pose, though it looked more intimidating on her. "That'd be mean."

"Nico, Kayla." Unwillingly, a smile crossed his face. "Of course not." He spread his arms wide in a familiar gesture.  Nico and Kayla stepped toward him, being swept up into Justin's embrace.

These were people he would miss.  They hadn't abandoned him after the fall of the Power Chamber, and they had stuck by him through thick and thin.  The only thing that would have made their circle complete would have been Fred, but the other boy had moved after being attacked by a particularly nasty monster.  Justin's eyes teared once more.

"I'm going to miss you," whispered the former Ranger.

Nico managed a shaky smile. "We will as well."

"You'd better keep in contact," Kayla mock-threatened.

"Don't worry." A smile which didn't quite reach his eyes appeared on Justin's face.

Doug came up and placed a hand on Justin's shoulder, his eyes sympathetic. "It's time to go."

"I'll be seeing you." He smiled sadly once more, releasing his friends.  He slowly entered the car, a droop in his gait which couldn't be hidden.

Nico and Kayla stared at the car until it disappeared out of sight.  Kayla turned away, a few tears pricking her eyes, but she then noticed the blank look in Nico's eyes and how he was rubbing his chest.

"Nico?"

"Can't you feel it?" the darker-skinned teen asked softly.  There was a beat of silence before he continued. "Something going to happen...  Justin isn't going to be the same when we see him next."

"Don't be silly." Kayla shook her head, ignoring the faint insistence in the depths of her mind that he was right. "Justin is...  He'll be the same."

"I guess." Nico still looked unsure as the two walked away. "Maybe."

The boy stopped, letting the wind caress his face.  Turning around, he whispered the words that wanted, no, needed to be said. "Justin...  Whatever happens in the future, remember that we'll always be there with you.  **I'll** be there for you."

With that, he followed Kayla, hoping to imprint the memory of this Justin in his mind.

For he knew that when they would meet next, they'd be completely different.

Both of them.

A few hours later found Justin on one of several flights on the way to Boston, his dad fast asleep.  He couldn't blame the man; the last few days had been beyond hectic with packing and various other odds and ends to do.  Doug had taken many late nights to make sure that everything would be fine.  Justin carefully spread the blanket across his father's shoulders, tucking him in.

It wasn't his fault.

Now left alone, the former Ranger had time to contemplate.  Most people on the flight had either fallen asleep or were too engrossed in what they had brought with them to notice what he was doing.  Justin carefully brought out the final things that connected him to the Power Chamber, to his life as a Power Ranger.  Held delicately by his fingers, the one last shard of his Turbo Morpher and the final piece of his communicator shined.  Both had been irrevocably destroyed when the Power Chamber exploded, and they were all he could salvage.  Seeing them again, Justin felt the burn of tears behind his eyes once more, but he again refused to let them flow.

If he cried now, he wouldn't be able to stop.

He was about to let a small whimper escape his lips, but then something caught his eye.  In the light, the shards seemed to... turn a slight blue, a tinge which reminded him of his lost powers.  The blue then shifted, changing into a bright orange before fading out completely.  It had happened so quickly, so _fluidly_ , that Justin wasn't sure that it happened at all.

Feeling like he had just witnessed something profound, Justin slipped the shards into a clear necklace he held around his neck, where it would stay for as long as possible, maybe the rest of his life.  It was something he couldn't fathom letting go of.

Before he knew it, his eyes started drooping slowly.

_"We shouldn't have any trouble.  No one has attacked the Earth yet.  Divatox is gone as well as Rita and Lord Zedd.  Maybe, maybe Boston will be where I can begin.  I'm feeling like it's where I have to be right now.  Maybe my heart can finally heal."_

In the dark sky among the clouds he had looked to for guidance more than once, he slipped into the soundest sleep he had ever had in weeks.

**OoOoO**

Sullenly, Justin looked out at the sky.  It was a bright day, and he used to love the sunshine, but he preferred the night ever since the Power Chamber had been destroyed.  He distinctly remembered the explosion that took his home, the only stable thing in his life for a long time, away from him.  The flames from that day, the bright heat of the sun, the flare upon his skin burning away his clothes—they all made him prefer the night.

He realized that he was still running away from his problems, but there wasn't much he could do.  Not when the pain refused to fade.

"Out!" Doug Stewart suddenly appeared, pointing toward the door. "You need get out and explore the city!  Find new places to hang out!  Make new friends!"

The teen turned empty eyes away from the window, sparks of emotion flickering slightly across the orbs.

"You've wasted away since we've got here!  You need to get out more!" pleaded the father. "I expect you to leave and not come back until evening!"

"All right Dad." Showing no resistance at all, Justin stepped out of the room.  The dead look in his eyes persisted as he walked down the steps, sliding his set of keys in the crisp pockets of his black cargo pants.  The pants weren't crisp because they were new, but because they had never been worn.  As any sort of blue made the memories even more painful, he had forgone his customary color, as evidenced by the pure red shirt he wore.  He wore no blue in spite of the urge the remnants of the Power in his body instilled, and he personally donated all his blue clothing at his dad's request, though he'd rather have burned them all, and that only left some clothing from his orphanage days.  The cargo pants were the only ones that he could wear in public anymore since they were designed to be loose and the rest, mainly black jeans and the like, were uncomfortably constricting.  The shirts were okay, though a little tighter than he'd like, and they accented what muscles he had obtained as a Ranger and through puberty.

He did without a jacket, despite the cooler East Coast air.  He didn't have anything less than a winter coat now, due to said donation of all his jackets.

Justin walked out into the sunlight, flinching slightly at warmth.  He shuffled dully onto a bus and found a shadowed corner to put himself in.  He ignored the people around him and was, in turn, ignored by them.

The trade wasn't entirely unwelcome.

An Asian boy around his age with headphones and a CD player attempted to talk to him at one point, but Justin merely ignored him.  The boy soon got the message and turned away, talking to another boy who Justin gathered was his brother.

If only he had talked to that boy...  Justin didn't know it, but, by that one action, he had changed the fate of his world.  We all know what path he would have taken if he had become friends with that boy, but he didn't befriend him and would not walk that path.  For better or for worse, he was traveling a path not before taken.

Once at the park, Justin found the largest tree he could find.  A few deft steps and leaps he had learned from a time he wanted forgotten allowed him to reach a height that left him unseen by most of the park, even the sun.  It was the perfect place to rest.

Briefly, he spied the Asian boy and his brother who he had seen on the bus, but he didn't allow himself to care.  Before long, Justin found himself lulled to sleep by the swing of the tree's limbs.  It was a quiet nap, one during which he didn't dream.  Later, Justin would curse himself for falling into such complacency.

Justin was suddenly awakened by a strong gust of wind that forced him to grab onto the tree branches in order to avoid falling to what would likely be his doom.  His necklace flew out of his shirt and sparkled as he tried to figure out what was going on.

His breath caught in his throat as he witnessed something drain green light out of the people who couldn't flee quickly enough.  _It_ was made out of a light brown wood, vaguely humanoid, with no discernible features.  What Justin _did_ manage to figure out was that it was carrying a very wicked-looking blade and was currently looking... straight at him.

 _"Shit,"_ cursed Justin in his head as he slipped down the tree in as few steps as he could manage.  As soon as his foot hit the ground, something surprising happened.

Flames jetted out of nowhere, forcing the monster to dodge.  And Justin was in for the second shock of the day as he found the source of the attack.

A team of Rangers, **Rangers** , were standing off to the side, mostly in colors that Justin hadn't had the pleasure of seeing before.  There was a Ranger in orange, though he was far enough that he couldn't see any more details save for a gun holder at his waist, at the head of the group.  He was flanked to the left by a male Brown Ranger, who was in front of a female Indigo Ranger.  To his left, there was a female Gold Ranger, who was in turn flanked by a female Silver Ranger, who had a male Aqua Ranger behind her.

Justin couldn't believe it.  There was a whole group of Rangers in **Boston**.  Why the hell hadn't he known about it?

He watched with a dazed sort of detachment as the Rangers quickly and efficiently battled the creature (without weapons save for those blasters even!) and managed to destroy it.

Justin fought the bile which suddenly rose into his throat.  Rangers...  He had moved right into a battle zone.  Flashes of the final battle at the Power Chamber came to his head.

Fear.

Pain.

Anger.

_Loss._

As the monster exploded in a burst of flame after one final shot from the Orange Ranger's blaster, Justin sunk to his knees, refusing to bring back the horror of that day.

He didn't want the pain.  He didn't want to remember his home away from home's destruction.  He didn't want to remember the day which equaled in pain to when his mom died and when his dad left.

Thus, he didn't notice as his necklace shined a bright blue color, protecting him as a wave of unknown energy flashed over his body.

**OoOoO**

Justin was more than a little confused both when he got back and the day after when there were no reports, however small, on the attack.

He slowly made his way out in the morning, making sure to leave before his dad woke in order to not deal with him.  The morning's dim light was better than noon's bright blaze, though the comfort of the stars was better.

He walked around, aimlessly searching through the city.  He...  didn't know what he was looking for.  Everything felt different after yesterday.

It was as if something was about to happen and the world was just waiting for it to be.

Justin shook his head, pausing at the corner of a building amidst the quiet streets.

A cry suddenly rang throughout the air and a voice shouted, "Justin!"

The ex-Ranger turned in time to be caught up in a hug by a boy who stood taller than him.

It was a person who Justin recognized very well.

"Fred?!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's the start of a new adventure. Yes, I've made Justin a bit more angst-filled, but this is more Justin focused. I realize that in the old one I made him a bit too... perky in the beginning. I want to rectify that. Also, as noted in the beginning, there'll be more changes. Such as a larger involvement with Nico, Kayla, and Fred. This is just the first chapter.


	2. Power of the Shadow: Six to One

_Dear Journal,_

_It's Justin again.  You should know me by now.  Sorry that I haven't written in a couple days, but I've been busy.  I met Fred again.  He moved from Angel Grove when a monster, Ninshad, had attacked and nearly killed him.  I didn't know he had moved to Boston!  It's a welcome surprise, actually knowing someone.  Even if he can't understand what I'm going through, it's enough that one of the old quartet we had once been is here._

_I saw another group of Rangers.  Yes, another group.  I...  I don't want them to be here.  The Rangers bring back memories too harsh, too...  I just don't want the Morphing Grid screwing up even more of my life.  I was too dependent on it and the connections it brought last time._

_No longer._

_Justin_

**OoOoO**

Justin leaned against the wall of the office, head bowed.  Brown hair which had been reluctantly combed and trimmed hung over his face, obscuring his eyes from the outside in, though not vice versa.  It began to curl slightly at his neck, though only a little longer than his usual style.  With arms crossed and a school bag on the ground next to him, he looked completely different from the boy he had once been in Angel Grove, dressed in black cargo pants and a form-fitting crimson shirt.

Fred stood next to him, fidgeting slightly.  His cap was attached to his waist, as was habitual inside buildings.  Justin could tell that his friend was shooting him nervous glances the entire time, but he pretended not to notice.  His final days as a Power Ranger had changed him far more than either the death of his mom or the semi-abandonment of his dad had.

"Justin Stewart?" called a voice from inside in office.

The ex-Ranger smoothly moved from his position against the wall, gathering up his bag without a thought.  Fred shot him a worried look, but Justin minutely shook his head.  Fred fell back, tapping his fingers against the wall in a show of impatience.  Justin entered the room and sat down in the seat motioned by a surprisingly young woman.

"I know what you're thinking," the principal, whom Justin guessed to be Asian, smiled gently. "You're thinking, _'Whoa, she isn't formal.'_ "

Justin didn't respond, opting instead to stare at a point slightly to the left of her eyes.  He didn't _want_ to make friends with her.  He didn't want to do anything but go on with his life.

The smile slowly slipped off the young woman's face, to be replaced by a slightly guarded look. "Tough crowd, huh?  I'm Lami Scio.  You know the dress code, right?"

He nodded slightly, not showing more movement than necessary.

The look in the woman's eyes hardened.  Justin idly noted that her hand tightened over a beautiful golden bracelet made with interlocking scorpions as she said, "We don't take kindly to troublemakers here.  Remember that.  Fred Kelman out there will be your guide for part of your classes.  The other part will consist of Cassandra Chen."

"I understand," Justin affirmed softly as he stood.  He began moving for the door, but the principal's voice stopped him.

"What have you lost to put that hurt in your eyes?" she called out.

Justin turned back with enough ice in his gaze which would have frozen lava.  It then melted into a sort of self-deprecating pain as he realized what he had done. "More than you'll ever know," he whispered as he exited.

He nodded to Fred, gaining back some of the light in his eyes.  Fred was one of the few people that he trusted himself with on Earth anymore.  The others were Kayla and Nico, who were separated from him by a whole continent.  For what they had done for him, he'd do anything for them.

"So, what'd you think of her?" questioned Fred once they were out of the main office.

"A bit..." He furrowed his brow, searching for the right word.  There really wasn't much to describe the principal, especially after what his (admitted short) stint in high school had made him see of school in general. "...protective, I guess?  Mixed in with some genuine approachability."

"Ms. Scio cares a lot about this school and the people inside of it," Fred said as they walked through the halls. "She can also see really well into people."

"I hear that," Justin muttered as they entered their homeroom.  Briefly, Justin recognized the Asian boy who had tried to talk to him before he took a seat next to Fred.

"Why are you in junior high anyway?" questioned Fred, as if realizing the fact for the first time. "I mean, you're smart enough for high school, probably higher."

"I just..." His eyes lowered as unbidden memories came to mind.  Being a protector.

Being strong.

Being _different_.

"I just want to be normal, I guess." Justin shrugged uneasily, and Fred took it as a cue to drop the subject.

**OoOoO**

Justin stretched as he lay against the grass of the park, enjoying the coolness of the shade that touched him.  A small yawn left his lips, one of a sleepy peace.  He hadn't had much of this back at Angel Grove, always in the Power Chamber or hanging out with the others...

There hadn't been time to simply be him.

No, he always had to be the happy-go-lucky boy genius who was valued for his smile and his knowledge.  There was no time to be a kid lost in an ever-increasing war which cumulated in his self-sacrificial abandonment.  There was no time to think about what changes he had gone through or the ever-growing darkness which lay dormant in his heart.

There had never been any time where he could just sit back and clear his mind of all thoughts and worries.

Something always had to be done.  Something needed to be fixed or something needed to be programmed or he was getting lectured, or he was teaching something to the newbies, or _something_.

No, for however peaceful Angel Grove could be, it had always been turmoil for him.  Things needed to be done and they got done, regardless of the effect on the person who did them.

Here in Boston, though, Justin found he could relax.  The near constant tension which marked his everyday actions seemed to disappear in the crisp air of the new city.  He, though he had to be more careful of the more mundane dangers such as car accidents and muggings, didn't have to be on call at a moment's notice for a monster battle.  He didn't have to be wary that he would be jumped by Piranhatrons at every single moment he spent outside of the Power Chamber.  He didn't have to make excuses for why he had to go teleport or run away or morph or fight.

Maybe he could find solace here.

Maybe he could finally heal.

It was with that thought that he once again attempted to fall asleep.

 _"Am I cursed or something?"_ Justin grumbled as the sounds of battle caught his fine-tuned ears.  His eyes snapped open, and he crawled to his feet, rising and staring down from the hill he was on.

And he was in for another shock.

"Shit," he cursed under his breath.  Twelve Rangers were clashing below, twelve Rangers who were mirrors of each other, even down to gender.

Justin's eyes watched as Indigo fought with what appeared to be Purple, daggers and claws clashing respectively.  Purple slashed sideways with her claws, which Indigo parried with her blades, forcing a standstill of power.  Both were forced to jump away as Blue and Aqua intruded, scythe against staff, with neither gaining an advantage.  The shorter Aqua jammed his staff into the ground and leapt backwards just as Pink came plowing through, her glaive poised to strike.  Silver followed soon after, her spear aiming for Pink's open back but failing when Purple interfered, claws raking across Silver's unprotected side.

Justin's eyes snapped to the side as Gold and Yellow fought, chakram against tonfa, neither giving an inch.  The metal of the chakrams didn't even dent the wood that the tonfa appeared to be made of, despite the harsh blows which Gold rained down onto the guarding Yellow.  Gold was forced to break her attack and duck when Green was blown over her head, courtesy of Brown.  Green's mace was launched away from him, but Red caught it and tossed it back, blocking Orange's sword with his katana one-handed.  Brown was on Green again, axe scoring a hit down his side.

He hadn't ever been in the presence of so many Rangers fighting before.  His eyes picked out easily the fighters though.  Orange was by far the best Ranger among them, though he was hampered by the fact that he was covering for Aqua's and Gold's weaknesses, however slight they were.  It was enough to level the playing field though.  And the rage over that fact was easily visible in Orange's movements as he fiercely kicked Red away, tripping Blue soon after and knocking him away with strong slash.  As the sparks still flew from the attack, Orange surprisingly turned to Pink and Yellow, fingers outstretched.

An orange light flared from his hands, and Red shouted out, "Run!" to the two female Rangers.

It was too late though as magma rose from the ground, scorching Pink and Yellow's bodies.  The attack wasn't over yet though as the energy converted into fireballs which rained from the sky, pounding the Rangers into the ground.

"Mid-level magic?" snarled Green as he sidestepped Brown's next slice. "That isn't playing fair!"

"For all those who've been lost, I'm **beyond** caring!" roared Orange, angering scorching across his body in visible flares.  Justin's eyes widened as the Ranger was lifted into the air by the force of his fury, an orange aura covering his body. "O six spirits who watch over us..."

"Damn it," bit out Purple, as she realized what was happening.  She raised her fist, shouting, "Meet us at the place where the roads of the five elements meet at ten o'clock!  Shadow Elementalist Rangers, retreat!"

In flashes of color, Red, Blue, Pink, Yellow, Green, and Purple herself teleported away, and Orange fell back to the ground, his chest noticeably heaving.  Waving off the assistance which Aqua and Brown offered, he whispered a few terse comments before teleporting away in a streak of orange light.

"Justin?" asked someone behind him.

The teenager nearly leapt into the air as he spun, his fist flying for Fred's face.  It was only through sheer force of will that he stayed his arm, eyes averting Fred's shocked but compassionate ones.

"What's up?" he asked quietly.

Justin jerked his head over toward the park, where five Rangers still stood, one seeming to do something with her helmet.  Justin clamped a hand over Fred's mouth to muffle the shocked shout—they were a good distance away, but with Ranger hearing, Justin knew that he'd have to be extra careful.  He watched though as Brown nodded once, and Indigo began emitting a strange wave of energy.  He took a step back, but his necklace flared, though his higher position allowed him to keep himself from sight.  Blue encompassed both him and Fred as the energy passed by them, and Justin felt himself shiver, though he instinctively knew that he was feeling better than he would have should the energy have touched him.

When the energy disappeared and the Rangers teleported away, Fred turned to him and shouted, "What just happened?"

"Rangers," Justin shortly replied, staring out into what used to be a scarred battlefield, but now a normal field in the park. "How could you not know?"

"But there are... _weren't_ ," amended Fred, "any Rangers here.  My dad made sure of that."

"Ninshad," whispered Justin, as he turned to his friend.  Pained eyes looked back at him as the teen nodded.  Justin shook himself and turned his mind to what Purple Ranger had spoken of.  Turning to Fred, he asked, "Do you know the place they were talking about?"

"The five elements?" questioned Fred briefly before he closed his eyes.  Justin could almost see the thoughts racing through his mind at a quick pace, the frighteningly fast connections that he knew that, while being Fred's natural ability, would take him years or some very trying set of circumstances to emulate. "Our school."

"The school?" gawked Justin.

Fred started, "Well, if you take in the Chinese—" before abruptly stopping and shrugging. "It just is." Something clicked in Fred's mind as he stared at him hard. "Why?"

The faintest traces of hesitance entered him under Fred's gaze.  He then addressed the question before him, biting his lower lip. "I have a feeling that I need to be there."

"You're not going without me," spoke Fred, placing a hand on Justin's shoulder which brooked no contest.

Justin didn't try to argue.

**OoOoO**

Fred and Justin wordlessly stared at each other as they met in front of the school.  The sky was overcast, and there was a charge of premonition in the air.  There were twelve flashes of lights from the roof, and Justin's eyes were drawn by the familiar flashes, knowing they were teleportation streams, though they lacked the crystal-like trailing sparkles that his and the others had taken as Turbo Rangers and were more like the ones that the old Rangers used.

"We need to head to the next building," Justin coolly whispered, pointing to the one next to the school, obviously locked, but the only one close enough to provide a good view of what was going on.

Fred gave a smile that sent shivers up Justin's spine. "I thought that might happen." He slid something out of the pocket of his worn jeans.  Black gloves, Justin saw.  Putting them on and pulling a black case from his other pocket, he slipped out fine tools.

"I left my tools at home," whispered Justin as the two crowded around the entrance to the building.  It was a simple place and had a lock which was equally simple to pick.  Fred, as rusty as he was, opened it in three minutes... though that was an eternity in battle, Justin knew.  Their sneakers echoed loudly in the dark, empty halls as they searched for the roof access.  He knew that each moment that passed could spell the end of the battle, even knowing that both teams were skilled; the tide of battle could change in a moment.

The two burst out of an unlocked door and froze.

Chaos stared at them in the face.

"Water Strikes!" shouted Aqua, the tips of his battle staff becoming encased with water as he jabbed forward, catching Red in the stomach.  The following attacks were mere blurs, but the attacks ended with Red flying away into Yellow, who was busy defending against Brown's axe.

The flying Ranger bowled Yellow over, but she drew a blaster before Brown could take advantage of her prone form and shouted, "Tiger Burst!" From the tip of her gun launched the visage of the beast, encased in electricity.  Brown guarded against the attack with his axe, but the resulting stall let the two recover and allowed Red to get clearance as he encased his katana in flame.

"Eruption Pyres!"

He slashed his weapon with a savage swipe as twirling columns of molten fire spun around him, but Orange was there with his own attack, calling, "Fire Passing!" His body blurred as he ran, and Justin could see him slice cleanly through the fiery pyres and the Ranger who summoned them before he stopped, sword outstretched.  Red's attack dissipated, his katana flying away and signature sparks flying from a strong attack on a Ranger suit.

Pink was instantly there to cover him, her glaive rising.  She shouted, "Tornado Bombardment!" and kicked winds up with the end of her long-arm.  Twisters launched from her area, keeping any attackers away, but Gold switched her attention to Purple instead, who was dealing with Silver already.  Justin recognized that Purple was the strongest among that particular group, and even she was starting to show strains from dealing with two Rangers, but Red still hadn't risen.

Eventually Green came to her aid, calling out, "Quake Smash!" and slamming his mace into the ground.  Shards of rock splintered off the ground and rose, firing into the melee even as an orb of energy launched from his vicinity, crashing into Gold and flinging her away.

The commotion caught the attention of the Indigo Ranger, who left her fight with Blue to rush Green.  She reversed her grip from her backhand to as one would hold a blade, shifting her footing and falling into a spin.  Ice coated blades as she invoked the name of her attack, "Ice Cyclone!" She spun in a tilted revolution, letting gravity aid her blades as she struck Green again and again, her attack coming faster and faster until it seemed she was ringed by a circle of indigo ice.  Indigo ended in a particularly strong strike that caused the signature Ranger suit sparks and shot Green right into Silver's waiting spear.  Her weapon launched him into the air, sparks trailing him, where Brown met him as he traded Yellow to Silver.  He spun with his axe in a vertical revolution, slamming Green into the ground with enough force to cause cracks in the school's reinforced roof.

But he didn't demorph.

Justin saw all the punishment the Green Ranger was put through, and _he still wouldn't demorph._

He knew that if he'd been the victim, he would have demorphed.  Hell, the only one he knew that probably wouldn't have was Tommy, whose natural tolerance for pain was amazing.

But for Green, not even leader, to not demorph from pain overload either spoke of an intense pain tolerance or a skill that Justin couldn't fathom.

And Purple was better.

Seeing the battle from above, Justin couldn't help but shiver.  There was something in the air, something that made him apprehensive.  From what he could see, one group, the group which _hadn't_ defeated that monster, the one which Indigo had called the Shadow Elementalist Rangers, was herding the other group together.  Perhaps it was something that they didn't notice or something that Justin could only see from his perspective, but soon the group was fighting together in the same part of the roof.

All of a sudden the herding group pulled back, their right hands raised into the air.

"O six spirits who watch over us, grant us the power of the shade!" called the group in unison.

"The Mountain Blizzard!"

"The Fissure Quake!"

"The Plains Tornado!"

"The Ocean Tsunami!"

"The Sky Storm!"

"The Volcano Eruption!"

Ethereal visages surrounded the six Shadow Elementalist Rangers, their bodies glowing with their own unique color.  Only Orange seemed to understand what was going on as his head snapped into the air.

And he moved...

...but not toward his enemies.  He, only a blur now, moved to Aqua, the closest to him and the most to the left.  As a giant blast of energy mixed of the six Ranger colors fired from the hands of the Shadow Elementalist Rangers, Orange's shoulder impacted on Aqua's chest and sent him flying.

What followed would haunt both Justin and Fred for the rest of their lives.

The screams of five Rangers echoed throughout the night as the blast completely engulfed Brown, Silver, Indigo, and Gold.  Half of Orange was hit by the blast, but it was enough to hear what Justin could amount to death cries.

When the attack ended, all that remained were six panting Shadow Elementalist Rangers, a shocked Aqua Ranger, a twitching, demorphed Orange Ranger, and four bodies that looked to be unharmed saved for the fact that they were unmoving.  Justin's breath caught in his throat as he realized that the bodies were so small, like they were around his age.

But then the Aqua Ranger lurched forward and scrambled to the demorphed Orange Ranger, cradling his head in his lap.  Justin couldn't make out the words that Aqua was saying, his voice tinged with shock, but he clearly heard Orange's reply.

"Aqua, please...  Don't cry.  Don't cry.  I did what I had to do; I did what needed to be done.  Don't...  Don't cry.  Just live for us, for what we believed in."

Aqua replied in a choked voice, again too low for him to hear.

"I _saw_ it and... I acted.  Please...  Protect the Fire, the Air, the Earth, the Lightning, and the Ice.  And when you gain the strength to, release us.  And I saw my replacement...  He—"

The Orange Ranger fell limp before he could finish.  Small glowing balls of energy, one for each of the fallen Rangers rose into the air and circled around Aqua before entering him.  Inside Aqua's arms, the body of the Orange Ranger began to fade, just as it did for Silver, Brown, Gold, and Indigo.  All that remained after was colored dust, dust that floated into the air and into the other Rangers, their counterparts, to disappear.

Aqua stood, his body trembling.

He took one step forward, and his suit seemed to shift, gaining white stripes across his body.  His movements were being echoed by afterimages as he moved, and a faint white aura surrounded him.

"O six spirits who watch over me," Aqua intoned, his voice devoid of emotion, "by the contracts which lie within these bracelets," he ran his right hand across his left, his fingers trailing over the bracelets that Justin recognized, if not why, "I summon thee by calling thy true names."

His power swept through the air, a juxtaposition of frozen cold and tingly heat.

"The Element of the Flowing Water, Deity of the Light, Spirit of the Yang Triangle of Light, Originator of the Aqua Magic!" With that, an aqua circle appeared in front of him.

"The Element of the Burning Fire, Deity of the Light, Mind of the Yang Triangle of Light, Originator of the Orange Magic!" This was followed by an orange circle appearing behind him to the right.

"The Element of the Dancing Lightning, Deity of the Light, Body of the Yang Triangle of Light, Originator of the Gold Magic!" A golden circle appeared behind him to the left, forming a triangle which started glowing a white light.

"The Element of the Freezing Ice, Deity of the Light, Spirit of the Yin Triangle of the Light, Originator of the Indigo Magic!" An indigo circle appeared this time, directly behind him.

"The Element of the Blowing Air, Deity of the Light, Mind of the Yin Triangle of Light, Originator of the Silver Magic!" A silver circle came into being, opposite of the orange one.

"The Element of the Shifting Earth, Deity of the Light, Body of the Yin Triangle of Light, Originator of the Brown Magic!" The final circle, glowing brown, appeared to his front-right.  That too formed a triangle which began emitting a dark light akin to black.

Purple took another step back.  Justin had watched as she and her team tried to approach Aqua as he spoke, but every bit of their movement was slowed as if they were fighting buffeting winds, though Justin could see none.

"By thy names I now invoke, appear on this plain..."

"Retreat!"

By Purple's call, the six Shadow Elementalist Rangers teleported away.  The Aqua Ranger sighed and fell to his knees, the sound of repressed tears audible as his magic circles faded away.

"I invoke the Elementalist Treaty, Precept Number Five: 'All landscape destroyed in any battle will be recovered upon the defeat or retreat of either party,'" intoned the Aqua Ranger after a few moments to himself.  A bright light spread through the area and the school was returned to its state before the battle, right before Justin's eyes. "I invoke the Elementalist Treaty, Precept Number Six: 'All memory of the neutrals who either the Good or Evil sees fit will be erased.'" A wave of energy spread across the area, but Justin's necklace flared and coated both him and Fred in a bright blue aura, protecting them from the effects of the... whatever it was.

The Aqua Ranger took one last look around, touching the bracelets on his left wrist before teleporting away in a stream of white-tinted aqua light.

Justin turned to Fred, unsure of what to say.  The teen merely shook his head, turning and leaving.  Justin looked back once before walking away as well...

...but not before saying a prayer to five fellow Rangers now deceased... and the one left behind.

**OoOoO**

Justin slept fitfully that night.  The dying screams of five Rangers echoed throughout his mind, unwilling to let him rest even as they broke through the numbing pain he tried to surround himself with.  The reality of Rangering he had tried so hard to deny before finally accepting struck him hard.  And this was how he slept for two weeks, always watching as the Aqua Ranger fought by himself in his solitude.  He half-wished he could help the person behind the helmet, but every night he returned to his nightmares filled with pain and sorrow and death, remembering how close his own team came to total annihilation.

A warm orange light entered his dreams one night and banished his nightmares, if only for that small time.

And Justin returned to a peaceful rest...

...not noticing the orange on his left wrist.


	3. Rebirth of the Phoenix and the Lion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: Yes, I killed off those Rangers. I'm sorry if you liked them, but it needed to be done.

_Dear Journal,_

_It feels weird writing in you in the morning, but today...  Right now, I need this comfort.  Yesterday...  Those screams will haunt my dreams forever.  I watched five Rangers die yesterday... five!  That's...  My heart hurts...  I feel empathy for my fellow Rangers... but I know that I will never really get this.  But...  I don't want to get involved with this, I just don't._

_And I need to find a way to explain all this to Fred._

_Justin_

**OoOoO**

Justin paged through the worn journal, already with pages threatening to fall apart.  Tucking the pen inside the battered spine as he finished going over his old entries, he sighed and looked to his wardrobe, wanting a new pair of clothes to wear.

Huh, not much.

Sighing once more, he chose the loosest pair of black jeans he could find and an orange shirt.  Brushing back his bangs, he stared at the mirror across from him, seeing the tiredness still present in his eyes... and also the relief that just being in Boston brought.

But he also knew that the tension would skyrocket the longer he stayed, just because there were... was a Ranger.  He already felt it creeping up on him, even as he watched his fellow Ranger fight his hardest.  Justin stretched his arms over his head, working out the kinks in his back before turning... and staring at the new yet familiar orange bracelet on his wrist.

Raising it into the morning sun, Justin admired the way the light glinted off the thin strip of orange crystal which afforded little movement.  Knowing that it was too nice to bring to school and knowing that he needed to keep it safe to at least look over later, he took the bracelet off.

Or at least tried to.

His face twisted into a frown as repeated tugging did nothing to remove the accessory from his wrist.  A few delicate tugs turned into harsh pulls which only succeeded in scraping his nails across his wrist and nearly drawing blood.

And the bracelet held.

Grimacing, Justin decided to ignore it, reasoning that if he couldn't get it off, then, well, no one else could either.  He ignored the sunlight streaming through the window, his breath hitching slightly when they touched his skin.  He walked through the house, each step calculated to provide him with the most shade.

Walking down the steps, he called out, "I'm heading to school!" out of pure habit, though no one was there to listen.  His dad was already at work, unable to see him off.  Shrugging, he slipped his bag on, drawing his breath in tightly before exiting.

The sunlight hit his face, more bearable due to the time he spent away from the site of the Power Chamber but still holding the pain of the past.  The heat of the sun, burning brightly, didn't remind him of the Power Chamber as much, but he couldn't stand it when his father turned the heater up or if there were any sort of flame burning in his vicinity.

He stepped onto the bus once it came and let his mind wander.

 _"Death...  That is something that all Rangers contend with, I realize.  But to have it so close..."_ he ducked his head down over the old thoughts, letting his brown hair cover the tears sliding down his face, tears which never failed ceased no matter how hard he tried. _"I never realized...  I knew that death hurts people, like when it took my mom away, but...  I never realized the connection that we, as Rangers, have, despite having never met.  I can still feel their deaths in the core of my being..."_

He took a deep breath, raising his head and letting the tears stream down his face unabashed, his eyes clenched tightly shut.

_"...with the flame burning through my body, searing through everything.  If Dark Specter's messenger hadn't intervened right then...  If Dark Specter hadn't called Divatox away...  We would have died.  There was no time to do anything.  The teleportation system went down with the Power Chamber, along with every single bit of technology...  Any longer and Divatox would have killed us, like she must've done to countless others."_

Justin's face fell forward again and he desperately clutched his arms, his control loosening. _"I can't...  I can't let loose my emotions here.  This isn't the place.  The **only** place is with TJ and Cassie and Ashley and Carlos.  Only they can understand what that pain is...  To be left all alone and fight for survival.  Not Tommy or Kat or Tanya or Adam or Rocky, no one but them can truly understand what it's like to know that no one was going to help them."_

"Justin," a soft voice whispered, a light touch on his arm.

His head snapped up and, for a few moments, his face was unguarded.  He quickly schooled his expression, though it softened just for the speaker. "Fred...  I'm sorry." He wiped the tears from his eyes, but he couldn't wipe the memory, one among many now, from Fred's mind.  Justin turned his head, a small, fake smile on his face. "Yeah?"

"I still can't get my mind off them," he stated with a meek voice.

"I can't either," Justin confirmed.  He rested a hand on Fred's shoulder, feeling the slight trembles. "Nightmares still troubling you?"

"Until this gold light made them disappear," admitted Fred, "but yeah, all the same until last night."

"It was orange for me," whispered Justin.  Something was pushing in his head, but he just couldn't...  It couldn't break through.

"Do you have one of these too?" he questioned, raising his left wrist.  Fred did the same, the golden bracelet glinting in the light.

"Something...  I can feel something, but..."

"...it won't connect," finished Fred.  Justin nodded his agreement.

"We'll find out what, I promise."

"I'll hold you to that," Fred answered, clasping hands with Justin.

The two disembarked at school, but it was Justin who caught sight of one boy that would normally be surrounded with four friends, looking lost off to the side, yet also extremely cold.  Save for the fact that he was alone with him, he looked to be a splitting image of himself right after the Power Chamber had been destroyed.  He hadn't seen the boy too often, despite the fact that it was well known that his brother and cousin, as well as two of his close friends, were missing.

"Jace...  Jace Hana-Mai?" he called out questioningly.

The boy looked up at the call, and Justin was struck by how similar the darknesses in their eyes matched.  The way he held himself, it reminded Justin of how exactly he'd been the time after... of how much healing he still needed to do.

"You're that boy..." Recognition flashed across his eyes. "Yes, I am.  How may I help you?" The voice, previously warm when Justin had last seen him, turned chilling polite.

"Do you...  Do you need anything?  You look to be in so much pain." Justin couldn't describe it, but the look that was sent to him sent shivers up his spine, even as cold he himself was.

"Alex, Cassy, Lina, and Adriana were—are—" he corrected himself, "closer to me than anyone else." The statement was cold, voice, brutal. "I can't heal until everything has been set right." Justin winced and tried to back out, ignoring the tickle in his mind that something was just _not_ right, but something in Jace's eyes flickered, and they softened. "I'm sorry, that was rude of me.  What's your name?"

"Justin Stewart," he introduced, turning and beckoning his friend as well, "and this is Fred Kelman."

"Hi," Jace nodded, traces of what must have been a nice smile once upon a time appear on his face.  Fred returned the greeting, lifting his left hand to take off his cap.

Jace froze completely, his eyes locked on Fred's left wrist.  Turning to Justin, he asked, "Do you have a bracelet too?"

Taken off guard, even if for a moment, Justin's hand went to his left wrist, feeling the cool crystal beneath.  Face tightened, Jace turned away from them but murmured, "After school, meet me in the park.  You **must** come." He left, his steps surprisingly fluid for someone so young.

"Should we go?" Fred asked.

Justin stared at that spot where Jace used to be, feeling slivers of his old personality flare to the surface.  They broke through his tight hold over his emotions and drove right through his conviction not to get involved.

"We have to," he asserted, feeling the old flame he used to embody well up...

...even as he became scared.

As he walked toward the entrance to the school, Justin thought, for a moment, someone was looking at them, but when he looked up, all he saw was the back of Ms. Scio as she talked with what looked to be a woman clothed in blue.  Shrugging, he continued on.

**OoOoO**

It was with slow, measured steps that Justin entered the park.  Fred trailed behind him, a reassuring presence which did nothing to banish the shadows in his mind even though he provided comfort.  Even if he couldn't figure out exactly what...  Something was triggering the defenses in his mind, the ones he'd placed in order to distance himself from his Ranger past.  There were things that he didn't want to remember, that brought pain to him, and he'd blocked them out and made sure that he couldn't feel them anymore.

The Power Chamber's destruction was one thing that he _couldn't_ just shut away.  Sometimes, even now, if he closed his eyes, he could feel the flames from the final explosion that tore away everything from him still burning, still as hot as the day it had been... leaving burns all across his body and scars deeper than anything physical.

He sighed once, but Fred didn't comment as they continued to where Justin could _feel_ they needed to be.  He walked through a certain section of the park and paused as sensations he couldn't describe crossed his mind, an uncomfortable feeling crawling through his skin.

It felt like the Power, only different, Justin realized.

But then his attention focused in front of him as someone stepped out into the open from the shadows of the trees.

"Good job finding this place." Jace placed a delicate hand on his hip, his pose relaxed. "Now, since you're both here, I guess we can go."

He tapped something on his wrist and said clearly, "Three to teleport."

And that was all Justin saw before his world was swallowed by neutral gray tinted with orange.

The eerie sensation of teleportation crossed his skin, the tingle of warmth and movement that was all too familiar encompassing him.  It was something that he thought he'd never feel again.

In a second, it was gone, and Justin's eyes registered their new surroundings, hearing Fred's gasp of surprise behind him.

His first thought that it reminded him of the Power Chamber... but more crystal.  Instead of the metallic walls, white crystals made up the entirety of the room, illuminating the area in shades of color.  There was a rock door off to the side, sealed, and various control panels of metal were before him, all easily accessible.  Where the Viewing Screen had once been in the Power Chamber, something that resembled the Viewing Globe of old that Justin had seen while accessing old Ranger files was placed instead, though made of a clear crystal here.

"Welcome to the Control Base." Jace stepped forward, leaning one hand on the top of a console. "This is the base for the Light Elementalist Rangers, as signified by the star you're standing on."

Justin looked down and realized with a jolt that he was standing on a six-pointed star that was engraved in the milky marble-like stone beneath his feet.

"These are the replacements?" asked a robot, whom Justin likened instantly to Alpha, though different.

"Yes, Zeta," Jace replied, his tone instantly cold.  Zeta backed away from the dark aura of emotion which had surrounded Jace in that instant, surprisingly strong for someone that looked so innocent. "These are the replacements for Orange Fire and Gold Lightning... if they assent.  Where's Kamion?"

"Right here, Jace," responded a voice as a face appeared inside a glowing tube that was eerily reminiscent to Zordon's and later Dimitria's method of appearance.  Kamion looked down at them before focusing on Justin. "You have the signatures of three Grid Masters and the Power.  Who are you?"

Justin stiffened as all eyes, figurative and literal, turned to him.  Even so, he responded, his tone icy, "I think that's a bit presumptuous of you to ask without introducing yourself.  To answer, however, I've met and worked with and/or under Zordon, White Wizard of Eltar," he ignored Zeta's surprisingly high squeak and Kamion's incredulous stare, "Lerigot, Golden Wizard of Liaria, and Dimitria, White Sorceress of Inquiris." He folded his arms across his chest, staring at them. "I was the Blue Turbo Ranger."

Jace's fist slammed down on the top of the console he was leaning against. "This is a transgression against the Elementalist Treaty!" he shouted, turning to Kamion. "Elementalist Treaty, Precept Number One: 'No being, with power or otherwise, from either side not under the command of the leaders participating in the war will come into the battlegrounds.'  We can't let him stay."

"Subsection One: 'The exception to the precept is if positions for Rangers or subordinates need to be filled, and only for the side needing them,'" countered Zeta. "Don't use the Treaty against me; I've known it longer than you've been **alive**."

"How long have you been in Boston?" questioned Jace, his tone sharp for someone who used to be so nice, as he spun away from the robot.

"Twenty two days," replied Justin instantly, "including today."

Jace turned his head to the side, his eyes flashing. "They can forgive this transgression because they harbored a being from the side of Evil for fourteen days and since we lost the Rangers fourteen days ago, we can subtract that from the twenty-two...  So we have six days left before we get punished for breaking the Precept," Jace murmured beneath his breath.  His eyes turned back to Justin and he opened his mouth, the words flowing crisply and sharply, "This makes it all the more imperative that you either accept to be our Orange Fire Ranger or get out of the city.  We're breaking the Precept as is, but we have a leeway period until we've gathered five other members, and...  Justin..." Jace's eyes suddenly turned pleading, the sadness within them unbearable. "If you don't accept the powers, we'll make arrangements for your family to get a good job in another city."

"Justin?" questioned Fred, his voice meek.  Justin realized with a jolt that he'd forgotten that Fred was even there. "What's going on?  You were a Ranger?"

"I **was** a Ranger," he emphasized.  His eyes lifted to the visage of Kamion, feeling the tendrils of fear creep through his mind. "And I'm not quite sure that I want to be one again."

Something must have flashed in his eyes... something that Jace found enough to speak up about. "What happened to put that hurt in your eyes?" he called out, unknowingly echoing his principal even with the bitter irony of their mirroring sorrow.

"Everything," he whispered, clutching his shoulders hard enough to almost draw blood.  His eyes rose as fury burned through his body, surged past the comforting numbness, and boiled over... leading him to say the things which needed to be said, just not here. "I lost everything to the Power!  It gave meaning to my life...  I got friends; I had a purpose!  I wasn't alone anymore!  I had a father, a father who I thought wouldn't leave me and a family that I'd be with forever!" he shouted.  Tears burned as they fell down his face, but he wasn't done quite yet. "Then everything just fell apart!  My mentors left one by one to Eltar!  My friends and team left me behind without a second glance, and I haven't spoken to them since!  I got a new team, yeah, but then we lost our whole fucking base!  Divatox destroyed our base... and we had no one to help us.  No one that could!" Tears ran freely as he became lost in his emotions that had swirled and built beneath the surface before ultimately erupting. "And then I was alone!  Someone had to stay behind...  Someone had to stay behind so that we couldn't break our identity rule...  And then I was alone."

He yelled and yelled and yelled out his pain... all the reasons why he... why he couldn't take the Power anymore... why he couldn't be a Power Ranger again.

"The Power gave everything to me and then ripped it all away, leaving me with nothing!  I lost my one true home, two families...  Everything!  How can I ever trust it again?  How can I ever trust it again?" he trailed off into a whisper, falling into a mess into the middle of the room.

No one moved for a good ten minutes as Justin broke down, his tears streaming down his face and his quiet sobs echoing in the silence.

Finally Kamion's voice broke through what had trapped them. "You can have time to think about this, if you wish." His seeing eyes turned to Fred, who looked frozen among everything else from information overload. "What is your answer?"

"You forgot the rules," reminded Jace, his tone now soft. "He can't accept until he hears the rules."

"I'm not agreeing on anything until I hear Justin's reply," came Fred's voice, his tone dark.  Brown eyes glared at them, as if challenging them.  He walked stiffly to Justin, easily gathering the slightly smaller boy into his arms.

Justin was glad.

He saw Jace wave his hand and then they were taken into a teleportation stream, landing inside a room, like what one would find as a guest bedroom in a house.

Here he let Fred hold him as the tears continued to come... as the emotions boiled to the surface.

"Justin?" he asked softly.

"Yeah, Fred?" he responded, his voice choked with tears.

"I won't be a Ranger... if you won't.  I'm not leaving you behind, you hear?" Fred asserted, a conviction in his voice that Justin found that he admired... that he found that he lacked.

"I can't trust the Power anymore," Justin repeated as he continued to think about everything, "but...  It's the only way to protect...  It's the only method we have to protect..."

"...our families." Fred finished.

Justin shook his head though as Fred's conviction spread through his body, banishing all but a few of the shadows that lurked. "Not only our families... but the Earth and the universe." He took a deep, shuddering breath and pushed back all his dark thoughts, all the feelings that just being around the Power here had brought back. "I don't want to do this... but you realize we have to.  If not for the world, then for Jace... who would be fighting alone."

"Yeah," Fred repeated, realization flashing across his eyes, "for Jace."

And so Justin found himself doing what he did the year beforehand—pushing away his own selfish desires for another... for others.

He'd had the same problems... the same thoughts...  the same doubts when Rocky had offered him his powers to help in Muiranthias... and he'd taken them against his better judgment when he knew that otherwise the Rangers would be short staffed... or Rocky would put himself in serious danger.

He couldn't let either happen.

And now he wouldn't let Jace go alone...

...especially if he could help.

As if someone had read his intent, the two were teleported back to the main room of the Control Base, where Zeta, Jace, and Kamion were waiting.

"I will now formally state the rules of Rangering, modified for use in the Elementalist war, and see if you choose to abide by them," Kamion announced.

"One, use not the Power for personal gain.

"Two, escalate not a battle.

"And three, protect the innocent **ALWAYS**.

"Do you agree to abide by these rules of being a Light Elementalist Ranger on the side of Good?"

Justin stepped up first, his mind racing as he heard the truncated version of the rules by which Zordon had had him swear, as he took a deep breath and said, "I agree."

"I agree," Fred echoed, his voice wavering.

"So you have spoken and so the Power has heard with me as witness," announced Kamion. "So long as you abide by these rules, the Power will protect you forever."

Justin refrained from commenting bitterly on that, unwilling to desecrate a sacred ritual.

"As such, do you, Justin Stewart, accept your new powers as the Orange Fire Light Elementalist Ranger, knowing full well what you are choosing?"

"I, Justin Stewart, accept my new powers as the Orange Fire Light Elementalist Ranger, knowing full well what I am choosing."

"And do you, Fred Kelman, accept your new powers as the Gold Lightning Light Elementalist Ranger, knowing full well what you are choosing?"

"I, Fred Kelman, accept my new powers as the Gold Lightning Light Elementalist Ranger, knowing full well what I am choosing."

"Then, I, Kamion, Gray Priest of Maocin, as the Grid Master presiding over the Light Elementalist Powers, grant you the Power to morph.  Open your mind to the power that lies within you!"

Justin sucked in a deep breath, banishing the last of his doubts.  He'd taken the vows, and there was nothing else to say... he was bound until he either died, or Kamion nullified them, or the mechanism to channel the Power was destroyed.  He closed his eyes and touched the orange light with his mental hands, the orange light that he had just noticed.

Power, raw and pure, flooded his veins.  It wasn't like the Turbo Power...  This was infinitely stronger.  And it burned, burned like the flames tinted with the Power from that day.

And he screamed.

**OoOoO**

When Justin came to, Jace was sitting over him.  All the boy could say was, "Welcome to my heaven and my hell."

"An interesting way to describe Rangering," Justin commented as he sat up with a groan.  His back ached and his muscles hurt, but he noticed more the new power brimming inside of him...

...that was the Power but wasn't.

Pushing that to the back of his mind, he asked, "Where's Fred?"

"He's still conked out," Jace commented. "He's never held the Power before, and thus he needs more time to get used to the Light Elementalist Powers."

"Ah," Justin nodded, feeling it make sense.

As he thought about things, everything seemed to click now as he said, "I'm sorry for your loss."

Jace stiffened before he sighed, a sad smile coming onto his face. "I forgot; you have the Power now.  As a former Ranger, you would know."

He stood, brushing nonexistent lint off his jeans. "Want to see the memorial?" he asked. "We have a private memorial here for all the fallen Rangers... at least, until the war's over... or at least this phase." The last part was said quietly, as if Justin wasn't meant to hear.

"Maybe later," Justin answered softly, turning his eyes to Fred. "I want to watch over him."

Jace's eyes flashed with pain for a moment. "I understand." Before he left, the Aqua Ranger turned back to Justin one last time. "Don't lose him."

"I'll try, but... We're Rangers," he smiled, pain in every movement.

"Yeah, we're Rangers," Jace echoed quietly, turning away.  It didn't escape Justin's notice that tears were gathering in Jace's eyes, no matter how the other boy wanted to hide them.

Justin carefully ran a few fingers through Fred's tousled hair.  He sighed and whispered, "I'm sorry for dragging you into this."

"I chose, remember?"

Justin looked down, not at all startled that Fred was awake.

"I chose," Fred repeated, sitting up. "I chose this... so there's nothing to be sorry for, understand?"

A small grin came to his face. "Yeah, I do."

**OoOoO**

Not long after found both he and Fred inside a large room, Jace opposite of them.

"We're here to practice," Jace said softly.  He then thrust his left hand to the side, tensing it completely. "Element Morph!" came the pre-morphing call.  Jace raised his arm into the air, a stream of aqua light following him. "Aqua Water Power!"

And Justin was privy for the first time to a morph of someone not of the same power as he.  A small circle of water appeared beneath Jace, tinted with his Ranger color.  It was quickly followed by an uprising of a whole stream, which engulfed him completely.  Within it, Justin could see the form of Jace's body stretch out into adult size, like it did for him.

It was rather disconcerting, really, to see... but he knew he'd have to get used to it.

Jace then emerged as the Aqua Ranger, calling his staff to hand with the words, "Aqua Water Staff."

Justin took a deep breath as he and Fred tensed their own left arms in unison, calling, "Element Morph!"

"Orange Fire Power!"

"Gold Lightning Power!"

Justin took a deep breath as flames encased his vision, surrounding him in its blaze... and he tried not to scream as they burned away his clothing.  The unnatural sensation of his body stretching also came, but his mind was more occupied with the Power-tinted flames around him... dredging up memories that he didn't want.

When it was all over though, he was standing, adjusting once more to the sudden issue of being at a height that he previously wasn't.  He could tell that Fred was also disoriented but more so, having never morphed before.

Justin fell meanwhile into a familiar stance, one that he used many times as the Blue Turbo Ranger.  Jace cocked his head to the side, stating, "You're not going to summon your weapon?"

Justin opened his mouth to reply, but he hesitated.  He then held his hand out to the side, whispering, "Orange Fire Sword." The blade, one that he had seen the Orange Fire Ranger wield, appeared in his hand, the Power telling him how to use it... though he already knew a lot from the Auto Blade he had used before.

"Gold Lightning Chakrams," came Fred's call, the rings materializing in his hands.

"Ready?" Jace asked, his voice also a whisper.

Justin and Fred gave their nods and the Aqua Ranger was soon upon them, the top of his staff heading for Justin's chest.  Justin fell to the right, dodging the blow as Fred jumped in, his chakrams aiming for Jace's chest.  The Ranger deflected the weapons with his staff and swung his own weapon such that the other end struck with such force that Fred was sent flying back.  Justin slashed forward with his sword, but Jace turned around in time to block the blow, resulting in a stalemate.

Jace's black visor in the shape of a water droplet met his eyes, and the two stared at each other before Justin completely fell, sweeping Jace's legs away.  As Jace was falling, Justin used his revolution to slash his blade upwards, sparks flying as the Aqua Ranger was knocked away by the attack.

Jace slammed his hand on the ground, catching himself as Fred recovered, and thrust his arm out.

Justin could _feel_ magic building.

Aqua discs of water flew from Jace's outstretched hand.  Fred was immediately hit by two, which sent sparks across his frame and caused him to fly even farther back, dropping his weapons in the process.

And one was heading his way!

As the spell flew toward him, Justin felt the Power take hold of him, filling him with power and knowledge... but also with the voice of some man he didn't know.  While the Power usually worked subtly in order to teach them how to fight or use weapons, this was the Power actively taking a role in the battle.

Justin wasn't sure that he liked it.

He took the heat within his being and pushed it outward, as the Power commanded, with the call of, "Burn, Fireball!"

Orange fireballs fired from a spot above his head, two destroying the disc of water spinning toward him and a third being deflected by an obviously shocked Aqua Ranger.

"Magic..." Jace murmured.  His head snapped to the side as Fred recovered and held his own hand out.

"Fall, Lightning!"

Jace threw himself forward as a gold bolt of electricity struck where he had been standing and the Aqua Ranger rolled, coming up with his staff encased in water. "Water Strikes!"

The attack came onto Fred as Justin rushed forward, a single thrust to the stomach that seemed to release a flash of aqua water before being followed by strikes so fast that they were mere blurs, even to his Power-enhanced sight.  Justin gave a slash forward, but Jace blocked it with the back of his staff as he was drawing back, the two weapons clashing in a small flash of light.

Fred recovered slowly, but he still managed to rush Jace, his shoulder digging into the smaller boy's chest.  As Jace had the wind knocked out of him, Justin twisted his blade so that Jace's staff was knocked away, following it with a deft kick to the side, knocking the Ranger into the wall in the process.

Jace remained kneeling after he recovered, giving Fred and Justin time to regroup.

If there was something that Justin missed, it was the rush of battle.  The adrenaline pounding through his veins reminded him of battle, of how it could change in the space of a second.

Like it did just then.

Jace was up in a flash, indigo daggers of ice flying from a spot above his head.  Both Justin and Fred dodged in opposite directions, but Jace wasn't finished yet. Brown rocks rose from the ground in a circle, trapping Fred and rendering him useless as the Aqua Ranger turned to him, flashing silver.

A silver orb entrapped him and then all Justin knew was pain.  Blades of hardened air slashed through him again and again and, though no blood was spilt, when Justin was released, he could still feel phantoms pains from the spell.  He looked to the side and saw Fred in a similar state, resting on his knees.

"O light which watches over me, I command thy faceted—" Jace slowly chanted, his voice sharp and crisp.

"That is **enough** , Jace!" Kamion's voice commanded as he appeared inside a green tube in the area. "You are **not** ready to cast that Healing spell yet."

"Who said it was a Healing spell?" Jace quietly demanded, unmorphing quickly.  He gave a Kamion a frosty glare before leaving, his entire body stiff.

Kamion sighed once before turning to Justin and Fred. "I'm sorry for Jace's temper, but you must understand..."

"He lost a whole team recently," Justin said softly as he unmorphed, Fred following. "We watched it."

"Yes, well, he grew up with four of them since he was three," Kamion continued. "The pain..."

"...is far more than we can understand, right?" Justin finished.  His face twisted into a raw smile, filled with pain. "Don't be so sure of yourself there, Kamion." He left as well, Fred shooting once last glance before exiting.

**OoOoO**

During the next two days, Justin generally hung out with Fred, attempting to get over the demons in his past.  He realized that he was nowhere near healing... or even dealing.  What semblance of healing he had taken over the past few days was instantly shattered by his advent into the Light Elementalist Rangers.

It made it all too painfully obvious that he wasn't as healed as he both wanted and needed to be.

All because he couldn't be selfish... all because he couldn't friggin' leave Jace to fight alone.

Justin stiffened when a six-tone beep, similar to Zordon's but different on a wholly different level, rang.

"What's that?" Fred whispered urgently.

"It's our call," Justin replied tersely, his eyes, long used to seeking out blind spots in everyone's vision, waved him over to a corner.

"Wait," protested Fred, "isn't this a bit obvious?"

Justin shook his head, motioning to his communicator.  Sighing, Fred did the same, tapping his own communicator twice.

Orange light, completely orange, completely different from the blue he was used to, flooded Justin's vision as warmth tickled against his skin.  A moment later, the light cleared out and he was staring at Kamion, who was looking at them gravely.

"What's the problem?" asked Justin, his voice soft.

A chill went up his spine, and cold clenched his gut as Kamion spoke the words, "A monster is attacking."

"What are they after?" Justin asked suddenly. "Rita wanted revenge on Zordon, but then in turn wanted revenge on the Power Rangers and the planet Earth for defeating her minions.  The Power Rangers' repeated defeats of the Empress of Evil drew both Lord Zedd's and the Machine Empire's attention, who each attempted to conquer Earth before also turning to revenge.  Divatox attacked for vengeance as we destroyed her husband, Maligore, and took Lerigot as well as the Golden Key from her... but what do your enemies want?"

"Crisscrossing the Earth are magical ley lines, places were magic continually flows," softly answered Jace. "In places were the several or more lines cross, they create nexuses of magic.  It is our enemy's goal to control these nexuses, as to control the nexuses is to control the world.  As a side point, they also attempt to steal the magic inherent in people.  Our job is to defend against these attacks, reclaim the nexuses, and eventually destroy the leader behind them." Justin stepped forward after his explanation, turning back to Kamion. "Where is the attack?"

"Chinatown," swore Jace as he looked at the screens.  He looked at Fred and Justin, focusing on each but differently. "You guys ready for this?" he asked, his tone with implications different for each.

Justin knew what Jace was referring to... and he could truthfully say, "No, but I'm going anyway."

The Aqua Ranger nodded once, lifting his left wrist into the air.

"Element Morph!" came the call from three voices in unison.

"Orange Fire Power!" was the only part afterward that echoed in his ears.  Justin inhaled deeply as the flame burned away his clothing, closing his eyes as he felt the Power pour into him.  Strength brimmed from his being, but the fire that seared through his body still reminded him too much of the Power Chamber for him to really feel comfortable.

When he opened his eyes, he was facing the Aqua and Gold Rangers.  Tapping his wrist twice, orange light flood his vision as teleportation sent him away.

The disorientation after teleportation wasn't that bad, especially if you were used to it.  Justin's eyes sharpened immediately as he noticed what exactly was going on.  His battle-trained mind quickly calculated the amount of foot soldiers, various minions ranging from harpies and faeries to salamander men and snake women, and the main monster... a thunder man seeming to be meditating in one of the destroyed buildings.

Justin wasted no time as he ran forward, leaping straight into the air before bringing his feet down and knocking a faerie flat to the ground.  He drew his Fire Shooter with his right hand and, using the marksmanship abilities that came naturally to all Rangers, especially to someone like him who had used long-ranged weapons before, snapped off three quick shots behind him.  Fred's loud squawk of surprise as a harpy and two lightning lions were suddenly destroyed was all the confirmation he needed as he turned back to the battle.

"Out of my way!" came Jace's growl.  Water flowed from the Ranger's hand, sharp and deadly.  It cut a far wider swath in the foot soldiers than an Aqua Laser should have, and, through the opening, the Aqua Ranger rushed through at a speed that was surprising for even a Ranger.

Staff drawn, the Aqua Ranger swiftly knocked out a snake man in his path as he leapt into the air, staff heading for the thunder man's head.  The spirit blocked the blow with the armor on his forearms, causing a brief stalemate as he and Jace combated in a battle of strength.  Justin released more shots from his blaster to give himself room as he attempted to maneuver himself toward Jace, but a teleportation stream stopped him.

The Blue Ranger emerged, his scythe at hand next to him but not ready to swing quite yet.  The giant wave of water that served as the eye piece of the visor turned to him as a voice said, "So they're already replaced Fire and Lightning, hmm?  It won't help though." The blue scythe was leveled at him, the Ranger falling into a battle stance. "I'm here for your head!  Tsunami Arcs!"

The Shadow Ranger dropped his scythe before drawing it upward, an aura of blue following the blade.  Before Justin realized it, curved blades of water took form and sped at him.  He attempted a block, but the arcs easily defeated his defense and struck him, the force sending waves of pain across his body.  As he was flying back, Blue appeared before him, scythe poised to strike.  Justin let the momentum carry him and curled his body backwards, spine cracking, but the slice missed him altogether.  He performed a one-handed cartwheel to right himself, landing on his knees.  Pressing his boots into the ground, he rushed forward, Fire Shooter changed to his left hand.

The Orange Fire Sword appeared in his other hand as he slashed, and the Ranger barely deflected the strike, pushed back slightly by the force.  Turning his body, he pressed the blaster into the opening the attack afforded and called to mind the special attack that the weapon had.

"Phoenix Blast!"

Because the tip of the gun was pressed against the body of the target, Justin could not see what he knew to be a phoenix emerging from the tip of the weapon.  But he knew that the other Ranger certainly felt it as he was instantly blown back by the force generated by the attack, flames licking across his suit and the telltale sign of a powerful hit appearing as the suit attempted to prevent internal damage by unleashing an explosion of sparks.

Blue Ranger jammed the shaft of his weapon into the ground to halt his motion, left arm clutching his stomach.  The glare shot through the visor burned him, even when it couldn't be seen.

He also didn't need to see the face of his opponent to know that his mouth was twisted into a fierce snarl.  Raising his blade with his right hand and aiming his Fire Shooter with his left, he bent his knees, ready to charge, but Jace cut right in front of him, using the same formation as he, except more difficult with the longer staff.

"Dolphin Blast!"

From the tip of the Water Shooter, the watery visage of the sea-mammal emerged, flying with a speed which should not have amazed him.  The image sent forth though made Justin pause at the beauty of such an attack.  The attack was dodged by the Blue Ranger, but Jace had charged right after his attack, the tip of his staff glowing aqua.  With a simple thrust, the Aqua Ranger began his Water Strikes attack, resulting in the Shadow Elementalist Ranger being flung backward into a wall from the sheer force of the technique.

Jace was almost upon him again, his Water Shooter sheathed, but his left gauntlet glowing a fierce aqua light that was scarier than a color that shade should have been.  The dark Ranger stood, growling from his throat, though he seemed reluctant to attack now that Jace was in front of him.

"I don't have the strength right now to deal with you three," he spat.  The Ranger turned one hand toward the spot where Jace had utterly decimated the lightning spirit and called out, "By the rule of the shadows, I command you to rise once more.  Grow in size and strength as you take your second life!"

As Blue teleported away, a circle appeared beneath the burn marks of where the monster used to be.  Gray light shined over the area as golden light similar to what the monster in its short existence had emitted was funneled through the circle and into the air, reforming the creature as seemed ritual against Rangers of Good.

Taking point, Jace raised his left hand into the air, both he and Fred, who managed to finish off the last of the grunts as they fought, following suit.

"We call upon the ancient forces to grant us aid in our battle!"

"From the element of the Flowing Water, Aqua Mermian Zord!"

"From the element of the Dancing Lightning, Gold Leoian Zord!"

"From the element of the Burning Fire, Orange Phoenician Zord!"

Justin felt himself be surrounded by fire as flames burned a glyph on the ground in front of him, encompassing him in a blaze that was the Power in its purity.  From that glyph before him, a phoenix-man rose, wearing armor colored orange to signify that it was his.  Justin closed his eyes and felt himself being moved elsewhere with the odd sensation of teleportation that left a tingling feeling across his skin.  When he opened them, he was within a sphere of orange light that was unlike any Zord he had ever piloted, unlike anything that he had ever experienced.  After a moment, he realized that the world could be seen around him and he could move the Zord as if he were it.  It wasn't as if he was the Zord, but it was very close, so similar that it could be mistaken for such.

He didn't allow himself to be surprised as the Power fed him information.  Taking a stance next to a humanoid dolphin and a lion-based warrior, he felt hot flames stream out of his back to form wings, searing wings that burned and hurt and made him draw in a deep breath.

The spirit didn't wait.  Lashing out with one arm, a bolt of lightning streamed forth, and Phoenician took flight as Mermian ducked to the right, Leoian crossing its arms over its chest to both block and absorb the attack.  A miniature explosion occurred, but Justin ignored it as he dive-bombed the spirit, flames curling around his fist.  Every motion felt so fluid, every bit of him filled with power.  The Zord moved at the slightest command, and he no longer needed to fumble with the wheel which dictated every movement that he had done with Mountain Blaster and Siren Blaster.

The resulting vibrations from damage also hurt more too, as he found out when the spirit's fist impacted on what passed for his Zord's stomach.  He felt as if all the air had been knocked out of him, pain shooting up his stomach and spreading through his body.  Catching himself with his wings, he watched Jace charge forward as Mermian, a trident appearing in his arms.  A savage slash followed by a thrust set up an opening as Justin felt his own weapon come forth.

Metal sang as flames parted in his hands, revealing a long blade.  His wings flared brighter as he charged his finishing move, which came to him in a split second.  It was echoed by the flash of both Jace's trident and Fred's gauntlets.

"Charge of the Phoenix!"

"Crash of the Dolphin!"

"Dance of the Lion!"

For a moment there was silence.  The radiance around him flashed brightly before spiraling into his blade.  His feet pressed against the ground and then the world blurred, though he saw both Mermian and Leoian move at the same speed as he.

When Justin came to, Phoenician was standing, his sword outstretched, the spirit frozen behind him.  Both he and the other Rangers were equidistant from the monster, capturing him inside a triangle of elements.  As he lowered his blade into a relaxed stance, he, echoed by his comrades, whispered, "Finality," and turned back to their enemy.  The spirit exploded in a prodigious display of sparks and flame, much like every monster before it.

Justin turned to Jace and Fred, returning the blade to where it came from. "The end of this battle, huh?"

Mermian merely turned away as Fred let a loud whoop into the air.

Jace's soft voice began invoking the Elementalist Treaty as he and Fred teleported away.

He wondered if he had imagined the tears in Jace's voice.


	4. Trying to Put Back the Pieces

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: 'M only slightly sorry for the slashiness in this chapter; it was entirely unintentional.

_Dear Journal,_

_Fighting... is difficult.  I doubt that you'll understand me as much as my old journal did, but you must know that I fought as the Blue Turbo Ranger.  While battles were difficult, I've never seen Rangers fight like this, with raw passion fueling their movements and anger and darkness...  I've seen the darkness in my new friend, Jace, and I've seen him embrace the turmoil inside of him in order to survive, throwing himself completely into his work._

_I want to help him; that's all I can say.  I want to help him, to heal him, but can one damaged soul heal another?  I...  I still haven't recovered from the Power Chamber...  I still haven't recovered from the lack of support I received.  I'm just as broken as he is, having had my hope ripped away from me._

_Zords...  The Zords bring battle again to the limits, the line between man, machine, and magic blurring.  I..._

_All I can say is that touching the flames of the Power still scares me._

_-Justin_

**OoOoO**

Setting down his new journal, this one an orange shade, Justin tucked the pencil into the spine, sighing once.  Deep within him, he could feel the burning flame that was the power of Orange Magic, the magic which defined the Orange Fire Elementalist Ranger.  Each pulse of that power triggered a reaction in his mind which forced him to lock down on the magic tighter, to not let it out unless needed.

Logically, he knew that he associated the destruction of the Power Chamber with fire.

It was only the irony of the Power that set him on the path of the Orange Fire.

But he had only himself to blame.

Burying his fingers into his arms, sharp fingernails dug into flesh as he became lost in his thoughts.  Justin fell forward into his bed, lost in memories that weren't simply memories.

_"We've got invaders in the southern entrance—"_

_"—northern wall breached!"_

_"They're flooding—"_

_"They've hit the storage!"_

_"Fall back!"_

_"Get the door—"_

_"There's too many of them!"_

_"Oh god, above!"_

_"—sie, move!"_

_"Carlos, down!"_

_"Jus—"_

_"Jus—"_

_"Justin!"_

_"Justin!"_

_"Justin!"_

_"...it's all lost..."_

 

"Justin!"

Cold, clammy hands gripped his shoulders, shaking him vigorously.  Justin lashed out violently in response, one hand savagely ripping the hands away and the other blowing his assailant back with a wild strike to the gut.  Spinning, he jumped and landed on his feet, ready to fight.

The world came into focus around him, and Justin, startled, dropped his fists.

Fred lay on the ground, gripping his stomach while curled in a fetal position, coughing harshly.  Jace stood off to the side, shocked, unable to respond.

Pure fury curbed only by unbridled fear shone in his eyes, Justin knew.  He knew of the pain that the memories caused, of what could happen to him when the memories overwhelmed him.

"Crap, Justin," coughed out Fred, "what's wrong?"

Instead of answering, Justin looked deep into Jace's eyes, orange-tinted brown meeting aqua-shaded blue in a flash of the moment, and the other boy nodded sharply as understanding flickered in the icy orbs.

"It's not our place to ask," Jace said softly, offering a hand to the boy on the ground.  Fred hesitated briefly before grasping the hand, being lifted by a surprising amount of strength.  Brushing off imaginary dust from his black jeans, he shifted from foot to foot, his gaze downcast.

"I'm sorry Fred," the Orange Ranger apologized, a genuine sadness in his voice.  Starting to stretch his hand out, Justin aborted the attempt a few moments later, sighing once.  Brushing back strands of hair with somewhat bloody fingernails, he asked, "What's up?"

"We are to attack an enemy stronghold leaking powerful magic," Jace commented, relaying the orders he was sent with.  Justin stiffened, ignoring the pain of his own arms due to self-mutilation.

Tapping his fingers against the dresser, Justin sighed and stepped fluidly off the bed.  Jace, ready for him, raised a hand over Justin's wounds.

"...heal..." Jace's voiced murmured lowly as his hands shined a white shade, fingers tracing over the puncture marks.  Justin felt a cold sensation enter his arms, and he could feel the flesh mend itself.  When the hands were removed, his arms were free from both wound and pain but echoed with icy sensations of the healing.  Justin looked up at Jace, shock apparent in his eyes.

"Healing magic, yes, but a spell that is of the pure Healing discipline." Blue and aqua stared at him with knowledge in his eyes. "They carry none of the consequences of healing spells from a lot of—if not most—other disciplines."

Justin shrugged in response, putting his arm in front of him. "Shall we go now?"

"Element Morph!" was the unanimous reply.

**OoOoO**

Justin lay on his bed, Jace and Fred passed out on the floor next to him.  His muscles ached deeply, and there were bruises riddled all along his body.  With the last of energy, Jace had managed to mend his broken sword arm after it had been set in Control Base with no little amount of pain.  Phantoms pains from battle before echoed on his body, making him so sore that he couldn't relax.

Not even the advanced spells of Jace's magic, tired as he was from battle, could heal everything.

The battle had been the fiercest one yet.  There were so many enemies...  It was obvious why magic was leaking at a constant rate.  Spells had been flung left and right, Jace's water-based ones clearing whole swaths compared to the way his and Fred's had only picked off a few here and there.  More than once, he'd executed the Fire Passing he had witnessed the previous Orange Fire Ranger, Brady Jillian, use.  Flames seared across his body as he sped through the spirits blocking his path, all in the hopes of finally finding the thing which would destroy the base.

The energy core, as Jace had called it, had been a room filled to the brim with metal and crystal compounds.  Jace had taken one look at the room before unleashing spell after spell of several disciplines, annihilating everything within.

The three of them had teleported back to the Control Base before the entire stronghold could fall, but Justin had glimpsed the Blue Tsunami Ranger off to the side before that happened, and it seemed that he was just putting his scythe down from... he couldn't tell.  There wasn't anything he could do about it though, and it was quickly wiped from his mind.

He turned over, the soft mattress squeaking beneath him.  He couldn't relax.  He thought that he was over the aftereffects of major battles, but the time between the loss of the Power Chamber and now seemed to have gotten rid of that resistance.  Sitting up, he looked over to his fellow Rangers.

Fred was sleeping, his mouth slightly open with drool at the corner.  His breaths were labored as Justin knew that there were particularly large bruises along the front of his body, but his chest rose and fell at a constant rate.  While the other boy was taller than he was, Justin knew that his frame was slightly more muscular, though both were only just into puberty.

Jace, on the other hand, slept fitfully.  The small boy twisted and turned in his sleep, as if he couldn't even find rest in oblivion.  Black hair, a bit longer than it had once been, was partially soaked with sweat as he tossed and turned.  The nightmare seemed to come to a climax as Jace shot up, blue eyes panicked.

"Alex!" The name was ripped from his throat with a strident cry.  Justin was instantly by the boy's side as his frame was wracked with sobs, running a comforting hand across his back.  Unseeing eyes turned to him, tears trailing down the sides.  Another name, softer, was breathed beneath the his breath, and suddenly Justin found himself on the end of his first ever kiss.

Jace's lips, warm already, were rendered even hotter by the flush on his skin due to the nightmare beforehand.  A surprisingly powerful grip tightened on his wrist as Jace pushed himself deeper into the kiss, his eyes glazed over.  Justin let the other boy's emotions run its course, knowing that they provided the release he so desperately needed.  He was even starting to enjoy the kiss, as harsh and bruising as it was, the concept of homosexuality having long since been handled in his mind.  The passion that he found ignited some of his own desires, but he held back, realizing that Jace needed the solace for himself at the moment.

When the pure need fueling his actions ran its course, Jace, choked sobs escaping his lips, drew back.  Or at least attempted to.  Justin wrapped his arms around the lithe frame, pulling him so close that he could feel Jace's warm breath gusting over his exposed skin.

"It's all right now, Jace; it's all right."

"I'm—I'm sorry Justin," the fellow Ranger rasped out. "You just reminded me...  you reminded me of someone I once knew, who I...  who I crushed on really badly, before I even knew what crushing was." All of the emotional barriers that Justin had seen erected around Jace over his rather short tenure as the Orange Fire Ranger, whose foundations could have been seen in the making for farther back, presumably to the point where he became the Aqua Water Ranger or even farther, crumbled before his very eyes. "His name was Jason, but he disappeared and... for a moment, you looked so much like him, so much like the boy who held me when I cried, and..."

"I understand," said Justin, and he was surprised to find that he really meant it. "I understand."

And Jace just lay there in his arms as he cried.

Justin looked over at Fred, whose eye was open and staring at them.  With a small nod, Fred entered the embrace as well, keeping Jace between the two of them.

**OoOoO**

Justin was not surprised when, in the morning, the event was not mentioned of again.  All there was was what was expected of three teenage boys as they woke up.  Even so, Jace's interactions with the world were a little warmer, a little softer, especially where both Justin and especially Fred were concerned.

He was sure that he wasn't the only one that saw it, but Fred didn't comment so neither did he.  They perhaps worked a little more fluidly together, more in tune than they had been before.

As time wore on, Justin found that Jace was tenser.  He was always ready for battle, but there was stiffness in his limbs and fatigue which he simply could not hide.  The pure fury that the Ranger had poured into his fighting abated; rather than large swaths of both elementary Aqua Magic, like Aqua Laser, and advanced Aqua Magic, with the terrifyingly powerful Tidal Wave as an example, being used, Jace relied more on his abilities as a hand-to-hand combatant as well as a staff-user.  It was almost as if he was conserving his strength for something.

When both he and Fred called Jace on it, the other teen looked at them, sighed, and said that it was something he was sworn not to talk about.  Fred kept pushing though, feeling something that needed to be said.

Finally Jace had confessed to practicing some new techniques, but it was of a nature that he could not speak of.  After assuring the two of them that the techniques were not of a dark nature and being assured that they would tell neither Kamion nor Zeta of his actions, the two newcomers found that they were Jace's sole confidants.  Occasionally Jace would run some increasingly random theories and mythologies which Justin had to force himself to consider, though how they all connected still managed to elude him.

When he said as such, Jace smiled in that way that made his guts twist weirdly and Fred look somewhat uncomfortable and shook his head, refusing to explain.

But he didn't press further.

**OoOoO**

It wasn't long after Jace started coming to him that something happened.  In the future, Justin would look back and call the event a portent; Fred would instead claim, somewhat bitterly but with more knowledge than most, deus ex machina because a group of three Rangers, with one adjusting to new powers and the other simply green, could not stand up to a group of six experienced ones as well as the forces empowering them.

Jace...  Well, Jace's reaction is a whole different story.

Time setting: Homeroom.

Activity: Gathering.

Scene: Three students at the front of the class?

Justin's jaw dropped when he saw the new students, speaking with the homeroom teacher, a muscled man named Mr. Griffon.  Mr. Griffon was a hard taskmaster who taught English for the upper grades, but he was infamous throughout the school for his unrelenting personality and the fact that he wore a platinum ring on his finger with no mention of a spouse.  One was a girl he didn't recognize, but it was the other two that caught his eye.  The slightly tanned skin and dark hair of the boy, and the defined eyes and long hair of the girl...  They were both familiar.

"Nico, Kayla?"

Both of the teens turned in recognition and the third out of curiosity, and Justin's breath caught in his throat.  It _was_ them, it _was_!

There were differences, even in the short time span.  Nico held himself still with a powerful exuberance, but there was something different about his eyes.  It was the same thing with Kayla and her sharp analysis; there was something that had changed.

But he himself had changed as well.  He'd begun studies into rudimentary qi manipulation and felt what might be shreds of the ability of premonition appearing in the form of hunches, good hunches.

And the Ranger thing.  But that was a given.

"Justin?" came the two questioning voices in unison.

Mr. Griffon cleared his throat. "If you have time to be talking, you have time to be working."

Sufficiently chastened, Justin turned back to the homework he'd left for this morning but not without looking up at who came.

**OoOoO**

"This place reminds me of the Youth Center," commented Kayla with a practiced eye.

"Except the training space for gymnasts and martial artists is now a dance floor," Nico inputted, eyes watching the dancers.

"It **is** Boston, guys," Justin said with a half-grin, his quiet demeanor broken by the fact that his friends were around him and what healing being a Ranger again had offered. "It's a **much** bigger and more connected place than Angel Grove was."

Fred came back from said dance floor, sweat glistening on his forehead but an invigorated smile on his face. "Hell yeah, dancing is a lot of fun."

Nursing his fruit smoothie, he looked into the flashing lights of Vivemus, a place formerly known as the Young Hangout— _"Really, what had Phil been on when he'd named the place that in the first place?"_ Justin thought—to the patrons of Boston, that managed to accurately mimic a night club except for kids and teens, and he marveled at how different it was compared to the bright and sunny Youth Center.  It was still a nice place to be in though, and it was a place where friends could meet over a smoothie and a meal.

Speaking of a meal...

"Those're my fries!" Justin cried indignantly as he snatched the fries clutched in Nico's hand away from the thief.  The boy smirked, **smirked** , at him slyly, and Justin's breath briefly hitched in his throat.  He cleared it before speaking. "What are you guys doing in Boston?"

"Fate," said Nico softly while looking at Justin.  The Orange Ranger knew his cheeks were coloring at his friend's flirtatious attitude but did his best to ignore it.  Kayla elbowed him sharply in the side, offering a smile instead.

"We're actually here due to mutual job interests.  My dad and his mom decided to splinter off from the firm they were working for and started up here.  We dropped hints about Boston and, well, here we are." She flashed another smile.

"We came for you... and Fred," Nico amended quickly at Fred's indignant look.  His pout said enough as to being left out.

"Is it just you three now since, since Ninshad?" Fred paused, a smile on his face, but Justin had grown adept to reading his friend's emotions, even more so due to their shared tenure as Light Elementalist Rangers.  There was pain in those eyes, pain that scarred deeper than he would have imagined.  He reached out for the Gold Ranger, but someone else beat him to it.

"Fred, do you have a moment?" Jace suddenly appeared, a slight smile on his face.  The Gold Ranger barely started, but there was now a light in his eyes, something that, for some reason, pained his heart. "I need your help."

"Jace," Fred whispered lowly.  He cleared his throat and said, "Yeah, I have a moment."

The Aqua Ranger gave a soft smile as he led Fred away from them.  His eyes took in Nico and Kayla, focusing on them briefly before dismissing them altogether with perhaps a shred of annoyance mixed with... realization?  To Justin, he offered another smile, just as warm as the one he gave Fred.  The two walked out of sight before Justin felt the whistle of teleportation that he had become attuned with during his stay.

Turning back to Nico and Kayla, he offered a smile tinged with a bit of guilt.  Both Nico and Kayla seemed not to notice the betrayal and hurt that had crossed Fred's eyes, something that sent a shiver of premonition (no pun intended) up his spine.

"You guys were saying?"

**OoOoO**

Justin bit the bottom his lip, eyes shadowing with his own inner darkness.  They'd been working on a project lately, something almost unheard of to Angel Grove's Rangers, at least, something that had gone on as long as this one had.

"Due to the Elementalist Treaty forbidding all but the actual participants," Jace began in an official tone, "reconnaissance has always been limited, especially with only three Rangers and the shielding prowess the Shadow Elementalists employ.  If we had more experienced spellcasters..." The Aqua Ranger trailed off before clearing his throat. "Anyway, I managed, during my check of the city, to find something of interest." He shuffled some papers around before extracting a specific one.  "It's this, a ritual site."

His breath caught in his throat.  It was a park, one of the smaller parts nearer to the edge of Boston, but a park nonetheless.  One version, taken with a camera, had shown a normal expanse of grass.  The other, taken with a magical camera, had shown a field emblazoned with black and gray runes.  There was a hole in the center, disguised by rudimentary illusions, and Justin presumed that it served as an entrance into the pool of magic that crisscrossing lines of magic had formed.

"We need to enter that space and destroy the ritual site," sighed Jace. "The runes...  They're attempting to call upon some very powerful creatures."

"Exactly how powerful?" There was hesitation in his voice, and Justin did not like that it was there.

Fred looked at the papers in front of him, and his eyes suddenly narrowed. "Meifuushin?  Wait, wait wait, Hades Gods?"

Justin sat up straight, his spine stiffening with his surprise. "Gods?"

"Unfortunately," sighed Jace. "As higher beings such as gods, they are exempt from such alternate reality and outside influence rules.  Meaning that we have to destroy that ritual site _now_."

"When's the attack?" Justin asked rapidly.  His mind raced ahead; a ritual site was something that he'd only read about in old files.

"Around six," replied the Aqua Ranger.  He gathered his papers, looking at the morphers on his wrists only briefly before staring straight at them. "Meeting adjourned."  The black-haired teen walked straight to Fred, touching his shoulder briefly.  Looking up past his cap, the lean face nodded, and the two left.

Justin wondered why he felt so cold.

Studying his tome of Orange Magic from the items that Brady had left behind, he silently mouthed the words to another chant.  While the actual casting took little time, the spells of Light Elementalist Magic required intense study for activation.  Once activated, however, the spell would remain entwined with the very spirit of the user, surviving even through reincarnations.  The basic Fireball spell was one that came standard with the powers; the spell was innate to all Orange Fire Rangers as well as any practitioner of Orange Magic.  To activate the Eruption spell that Brady had displayed in his clash with the Shadow Elementalist Rangers?  It would take a while.

He trailed his fingers over the tome, feeling oh so distant from his fellow Rangers. _"Brady, wherever you are, will you help me?  I'm not sure if I can do this."_

There was no answer.

**OoOoO**

All Justin could hear was the breaths he himself released.  Anticipation made his body spark, and he tightened his grasp on his sword.  Jace, as the Aqua Water Ranger, looked up from the ground.

"Fred's spell did it.  The seal's broken." That was all he said before he slipped into the group, disappearing almost instantly.  Justin took a deep, shuddering breath before doing the same.

He'd never fallen into a magical nexus before.  It was a mind-blowing experience, to say the least.  Magic surrounded him in its warmth, tinged with the Earth's very magical signature.  He felt warmth along his skin in such a way that he was relaxed.  He was filled to the brim by light and heat and...

It felt beautiful.

Then it felt just plain wrong.

Justin tried not to gasp as something trailed across his senses with the intent of invasion.  He lashed out instinctively with his magic, pushing away the taint as hard as he could.  There was a beat where everything was silent, where he could no longer feel anything, before, as if switch had been flipped, he could feel again.  He was on a cool ground, metal beneath his boots.  Opening his eyes, he watched as his fellow Rangers shook off the lingering effects of their reactions to the inherent corruption of the magical nexus.

The complex they were in reeked of magical power, strong, heady, and all too dangerous.  Justin knew they would have to tread lightly.  With that, he deferred to Jace, the more experienced of their trio in terms of magic and also their de facto leader with his experience in the Light Elementalist Powers.

"The ritual site is straightforward; it wasn't meant to be discovered," admitted the Aqua Ranger. "I could tell when we were entering; the only reason we were able to detect it is because the energy required to summon the Meifuushin was much higher than the wards were designed to mask."

"Basically," Fred surmised, "we're screwed to all hell if we allow the ritual to be completed."

Jace acknowledged his comment with a nod of his head and a small smile conveyed through his bodily movements. "There wasn't much in terms of defenses put here.  I augmented my senses with the nexus and found the layout to be simplistic with no traps.  The only problem is that there are many guards in the room preceding the focal point of the summoning."

"Stronger than the ones in the base?" questioned Justin half-hesitantly.

With a mere glance, the fellow Ranger answered with a nod. "Much stronger."

"What are we waiting for then?" demanded Fred. "Lead on!"

There was no hesitation in Jace's movements; he was off like a rocket with a speed to almost match the Turbo Powers.  Justin and Fred followed him quickly, Fred's speed holding credence to the electricity-based elemental powers he held.  The place **was** straightforward, but the path to the focal point was long.  Even at their speed which almost rivaled the Turbo Powers, it was taking them quite a while to traverse the place.  A sudden chill of foreboding came over Justin; something was really wrong.  What awaited them in the room ahead?

Fred launched a kick forward once they reached a door; his augmented strength coupled with some magic easily shattered the stone material.  Jace was first in, Water Shooter already drawn.  Before he was halfway into the room, he had already snapped off several shots, though none were fatal.

The moment Justin himself was through, he skidded to a stop right behind Jace.  He watched just in time to see a dragonoid warrior stab a spirit in the chest with a wickedly large sword.

"Weak!" shouted the warrior. "All of you are weak!  I'm finally awake, and this is the greeting I get?  I thirst for battle, battle!"

The words sounded weird in his ears, and it took Justin a second to realize that the Power was actively translating the words.  Before he could wonder what language, Jace said shortly, "It's Japanese."

Fred stepped forward in the momentary lull and call out, "Who are you?"

The dragon looked over at them, and its mouth twisted into a version of a wicked grin. "I'm one of the Two Ultimate Gods of the Infershia Pantheon, Hades God Drake!  I don't know why I'm awake, but I thirst for battle!  These small fries are nothing to me!"

"Crap," cursed Jace. "One's already been summoned!  We have to neutralize him at once!"

"Let's **MOVE** ," boomed Justin, already racing forward with his sword.  He launched himself into the air, Jace on his left and Fred on his right.

Drake responded with a wide slash that blocked his own, the resulting force abruptly changing his momentum.  Justin twisted in mid-air and landed on his feet, bouncing once before running forward again.  Already Jace and Fred were circling the Hades God, and then Fred moved, his fist chambered.  Drake moved quickly, far more quickly than Justin gave him credit for in that huge armor, and rammed his own fist into Fred's chest with enough force to cause sparks to fly off and send the Gold Ranger flying.  The Hades God then returned to Jace, his sword blocking a savage strike from Jace's staff.  The Aqua Ranger backed off as Justin leapt forward, a Fireball spell appearing out of nowhere.  It was simple for Drake to dodge it, but it moved the God into the position for Jace to cast his own spell.  Aqua-tinted water came rushing out of his hand, far stronger than a rudimentary spell should have been.  It impacted against the God's armor—and did nothing.

"That tickled, magician," commented their foe. "I did not expect you to be able to get me to feel past this impenetrable armor.  Now that you have—it's time for the real battle to begin!"

And with that, the God stepped forward—and vanished.  Justin was confused for just a moment before his instincts kicked in and shouted to roll forward.  As he did so, he barely dodged a green beam of energy that was aimed at his back.  Spinning to face Drake once more, he launched another Fireball spell at him but did not stay around to watch the effects of the spell.  He had to keep moving, keep running, keep attacking; Drake was simply too powerful.

Fred had opted for his Lightning Shooter rather than his chakrams.  Justin preferred his sword, despite his previous experience with guns.  Fred's ability with the weapon was not to be underestimated, however, as he danced around the green beams which Drake continued to send.  Though the Gold Ranger retaliated with his own bursts of energy, each hit impacted on the impenetrable armor and simply stopped.  The Gold Spellcaster was holding his own, but he could not keep it up for long.

Justin rushed in, sword deflecting with no little effort the beams headed his way.  He'd blocked stronger, but those hadn't come so quickly.  Each beam that he turned away took another bit of his stored strength, strength which he desperately needed.  But he fought and moved and struck and hit, advancing slowly but steadily toward the god that the enemy had summoned.  His power fluctuated; he felt alternatively growing stronger and weaker.  Magic thrummed in his ears, searing though his body and soul.

This was battle.

This was the beauty of having a strong enemy, someone to respect but also someone to defeat.

And it was in battle that a Ranger thrived.

The realization he came to, amidst all else, all of his pain, his sorrow, and his fears, made his back straighten and his mind sharpen.  He was a Ranger through and through.

Power rushed through his veins, heralding a sharp realization.  Suddenly—he knew.

"O molten pike, descend, Flame Lance!" The advent of a new spell caused orange sparks to fly around him and his outstretched blade.  Brightly shining in the near lightless room, the flaring lance shot down from the sky.  The initial hit missed due to a well-timed duck from Drake, but the tip of the pole-arm sunk into the earth and released a burning flash of fire which caused even the powerful Drake to have a misstep.  Jace stood in the midst of the flare, unharmed, as was the nature of the Color Magics.  His hands were folded together, bleeding a fierce aqua glow.

"O great sea whose bounty serves to bring life to the land, show these transgressors of thy will thy glorious call and everlasting rage," the Aqua Ranger parted his hands in a sharp gesture, raising his right, splayed, into the sky, "Tidal Wave!"

The most powerful spell the Aqua Ranger had revealed appeared around the Hades God, surrounding him with twisting columns of rising water.  Stunned by the aftermath of Justin's Flame Lance spell, Drake could do nothing but stand as torrential waters heralded by the four columns erupted from beneath him, flinging him far into the air.  The water then gathered above the Hades God, aqua tinted liquid coming together to slam the dragonoid harshly into the ground.

It actually elicited a reaction from Drake.

One of intense pain.  The Hades God roared in fury, emitting an explosion of pure energy that blew back the three Rangers surrounding him.  Justin was flying through the air, pain in every part of his body, and Drake was suddenly upon him, sword in hand.  And the Orange Ranger could only feel as slash after slash after slash rained upon his body, hit after hit after hit, and Justin could do nothing, nothing, nothing to stop the hits.  It was all he could do to keep his morph in place, fighting with all his will to not let himself demorph.

Then suddenly all of it stopped.  The blows stopped, and Justin allowed himself to open his eyes...

...to see Drake unleash a gout of flame on him.

He didn't hold back this time; Justin screamed because it burned and seared and enveloped his body in the fire and heat and darkness and destruction and hurt and pain.  It wasn't anything like the Orange Fire Power; it was much more raw and fierce and filled with the dark magic like what had tainted the Power Chamber.  It hurt and hurt, and he cried unashamedly as the hurt built and built and suddenly he was in the Power Chamber fighting for his life except there was no one at his back, and then it all burned and burned and burned.

He spasmed on the ground long after the attack had stopped, tears streaming down his cheeks in his civilian form.  He could still feel the pain, the horror, and all of it.

A sudden slap brought him back to reality, a lightning bolt visor coming into view. "Orange, no, Justin, get a hold of yourself!"

"Fred?" he croaked with a throat raw from his screams.

"Get off to the side," the Ranger replied harshly. "You're too open here!"

Fred turned around, tossing out a Lightning spell as Drake came too close after Jace had been knocked away.  Scrambling painfully to his feet, Justin shivered as he dashed away.  He went as far as he could, but his legs gave out, and he ended up tumbling into a heap on the ground, unable to do anything save watch the fight.

Fred's basic spell was followed by a new spell, one that Justin didn't recognize.  "Gather, O golden energy, Spark Web!"

Encasing the Hades God in a cage of lightning did little good, however, as the dragon broke free from pure rage.  Green beams of energy lanced over the area in a dizzying array of lights, and, as Jace was stunned by the attack, dark orbs of purple magic appeared in Drake's hand.  With a fierce toss, they were all launched towards the Aqua Ranger.  At least, initially.  Fred jumped in front of the orbs faster than the eye could see, much to Justin's horror.  The resulting explosion gave Justin little doubt to the state of his fellow Ranger after the attacks.

As Fred's unmorphed form fell before him, Jace shook in rage.  Justin watched as the Aqua Ranger raised a hand to the air, as if to summon something.  Before he could, Drake was upon him, each blow causing sparks to flow.  The Aqua Ranger put up a fight, but it was for naught as Drake gave one final slash, and Jace flew back, returning to his civilian form in midair.  As he landed with a thump on the ground, Drake seemed to calm himself.  Looking over at their scattered forms, all he said was, "Kids?"

"We're fucking kids, all right?" Fred snapped, clutching his chest.

The God's eyes glittered with malicious glee. "If I get this much fun from mere children, then I wonder what the outside is like, filled with experienced adults."

"You're not going to live to see them," Jace snarled.  He was suddenly standing up straight, his own eyes glittering as well but with a solemn conviction.  The boy then looked at both Justin, whom he was next to, and Fred, lingering on the latter.

"I'm sorry," was all he stated.

Then he acted.

"Yonjin no Fuin: Ichi, Kai!"

Energy coalesced around Jace, spiraling around him to force something to appear on the back of his neck.  Startled, Justin realized that it was a small circle, the image of a phoenix, tiger, dragon, and turtle within.  Thrusting his hands down, Jace forced the light to shatter.  Drake took his as his opportunity to strike, a fireball approaching Jace.  As Justin scrambled out of the way, he saw Jace's hands rapidly flash as he whispered, "Kawarimi no Jutsu."

The attack hit—a straw doll.

Jace had appeared behind the Hades God, his hands rapidly forming hand gestures. "Fuuton: Kamikaze no Jutsu!"

A hole opened up in the air.  Green winds spiraled down from the opening, filling the room with a cool breeze.  As Drake moved, the winds followed him, crackling with energy.  Distracted by this, only Justin and Fred saw Jace's next move, which ended with, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Several copies of Jace appeared, each wielding a katana that Jace himself also obtained.  All five of them dashed forward at once.  Drake neatly sliced through one only to have it disappear in a puff of smoke.  The remaining four boys ran around in an attempt to confuse the Hades God, each striking with his katana in an attempt to find weak spots.  But it was for naught as Drake again roared, green beams simultaneously destroying the wind skill used before and all of the clones, save for Jace alone, who barely guarded with his katana.

Enraged, Drake launched another orb of dark magic forward, but Jace did something else.  Something that made Justin's heart clench in his chest because he could tell that something was desperately wrong.

"Yonjin no Fuin: Ni, Kai!  Reisesshoku!"

As those words were shouted, Jace literally grabbed the magic attack out of midair, returning it with equal force back at Drake.  It impacted on Drake's head, where Justin saw that it actually caused some amount of pain.  This seemed to confirm something to Jace, as he used his technique to repeatedly reflect all of Drake's ranged attacks while dodging his melee ones.

"With this, my Reisesshoku, the kekkei genkai of my ninja family, the Hana," Jace said softly, "I am able to literally grasp energy and manipulate it to my will.  Granted, it requires knowledge of the composition of the energy in question and near inhuman reflexes, but I have it under control, don't I, Drake?" he asked.

He stood stiffly, but even Justin could see that he was on his last legs.  Jace was beyond exhaustion; he should have collapsed from energy loss already.  Blood was flowing slightly from his nose, but Jace did nothing to push it away.  With a step forward, the just revealed ninja vanished with an audible pop.  He reappeared silently behind Drake, his hands finishing a sequence of seals.

In Jace's hand spawned the golden crackle of electricity, focused in blade form.  It was a simple matter for Jace to jump up and thrust down, driving his hand through Drake's skull and neck, ultimately killing the Hades God in one stroke.

As Drake exploded in a flash of lights and sparks, Jace whispered, "Raiton: Raijin no Ken."

Justin attempted to get up and rush over to Jace, but he was suddenly stopped by the stiffening of Jace's back.

"No, not another one..." Jace ran for the doorway that led to the summoning room, both Justin and Fred close behind.  The ninja-cum-Ranger turned back and shouted, "Get away!  You two are too weak!"

Before Justin could reply, Jace growled at them and cried, "You two need to go back!  I...  Dammit, if something happened, I couldn't forgive myself...  And only one of us needs to go!  I'm sorry guys."

The last was spoken softly as the Aqua Ranger waved his hand at them.  He felt magic take a hold of his body, and the last thing he saw was Jace's shrinking silhouette, his black hair, shoulder length in remembrance of his fallen brother and cousin, trailing behind him with the unseen wind of magery.  His heart once again clenched, and he knew, just knew, that Jace wasn't coming back—alive at least.

The moment that the two of them landed on the grass, Fred buried his face into Justin's shoulder.  Tears fell freely from the other boy's eyes, soaking his shirt.  And Justin did nothing to stop him, for he too began crying with the tears he had withheld during the battle.  He cried for the life that he knew would be lost.  He cried for the sense of loss that had enveloped him.  He cried for Jace.

Even as Justin felt a massive surge of energy that preceded the total annihilation of the ritual site, he and Fred just sat there in each other's embrace, attempting to find comfort with each other in their misery.

This was the scene that Kayla and Nico came upon when they wandered into the area.

"Justin!" came Nico's cry.

It was followed by Kayla's horrified, "Fred!"

The two rushed forward, but they were interrupted by a flash of smoke.  Justin lurched forward when Jace appeared, coughing up blood, bleeding from multiple wounds, and showing the fatal signs of energy exhaustion.  As he lowered the dying boy down, for at this point no medical aid could possibly help—and another teleportation would instantly kill him—the Aqua Ranger spoke quietly.

"I couldn't let you two die in here," he said softly, "because you're both too powerful to lose to the other side.  You guys learned two spells very quickly and are developing other talents as well; I couldn't let them have you."

"What are you talking about, man?" Fred cried, tears still falling.

"Kamion, Zeta, and I have been keeping from you the true nature of the Shadow Rangers," he continued softly. "If you _die_ , like Brady and Lance and Alex and Cassy and the others... the Shadow Elementalists Rangers take you.  They take your body, your mind, your spirit...  All of you, save the Power, are theirs.  I couldn't lose you."

"But," Justin argued harshly, "you're more powerful than us!  If we lose you..."

Jace shook his head, a small smile in his eyes even as he coughed. "Fred...  If you'll let me, I can...  My body will meld with yours as I hide my spirit with you.  It's only a prototype, except this way, I can avoid becoming part of the Blue Tsunami Ranger.  But...  It's only if you assent."

There was no hesitation as Fred said firmly, "Do it."

"For what it's worth," Jace told his fellow Rangers in a fading voice, "I'm sorry." He melded his hands together in a mixture of fluid seals, whispering, "Saikyō Jutsu: Nirei Ichitei." Leaning forward, he placed a kiss on Fred's surprised lips, one tear beginning its descent.  Before the tear could even hit the ground, Jace faded to dust right before Justin's eyes, almost like his predecessors in the Light Elementalist Rangers had.  This time the dust moved to Fred, carrying along with it... only the indigo light?

Justin gaped as the Brown Earth Power spiraled off into the distance.  The Silver Air and Aqua Water Powers instead reached each of his friends, who had remained silent throughout the entire exchange.

"What... is this?" Kayla asked softly, surrounded in a silver nimbus.

"It's—warm," Nico decided as he stared at the aqua bracelet on his wrist.

"You're the potentials," Justin realized, almost bitterly.  They were the possible successors to the Power; there was another somewhere for Brown Earth, but Indigo Ice apparently did not have one at the moment. "I need you to come with me."

"If you can explain all this," Kayla opened her arms wide, "then that's fine."

"Yes," agreed the other newcomer.

"Zeta," Justin said softly, his voice subdued with undercurrents of sadness, "I have the possible replacements for Silver Air and... Aqua Water." He didn't imagine the soft hiss from the other end. "If possible, would you get the replacement for Brown Earth as well?"

"It shall be done."

"Just wait." The Orange Ranger said no more, stepping closer to Fred in hopes of finding some solace to ease the pain.  As orange engulfed his vision, he watched aqua tinted-gray and silver-tined gray go first, with comforting gold beside him.  Because the four had teleported away, they did not see another person reappear right where they had just left.

A woman of firm stature, she was dressed as if she had been in a hurry.  A rumpled work shirt and similarly rumpled pants were contrasted by the deadly katana and weapons pouches at her waist.  As lingering smoke disappeared, the woman surveyed the area with both hope and dread.

"Oh Jace," she whispered, biting the bottom of her lip, "please tell me where you are...  Glen's going crazy with scrying spells and...  If you're gone as well, I don't know—I don't know what'll happen."

She knelt on the ground, attempting to find lingering chakra traces.  She sensed—it seemed like Jace's chakra, only with a different tint and much, much, much more power than she had thought he had.  There was another, untamed, but wild like lightning.  And—

"The Yonjin no Fuin was broken," she hissed in surprise. "No one under it should have been able to break it...  That must have been what I felt; it wasn't a clean dispelment.  But that means that Jace—"

And then she felt it.  She could _feel_ Jace's blood on the ground, still warm.  And from the amount and just...  There was something that told her that, that Jace was dead.

Her son was dead.

Ami Mai-Hana stood, trembling in rage.  Raising her katana to the sky, she called out in a thunderous voice which shook the earth, "Upon my blood, my body, and my soul, I will find your killer, Jace, and avenge you!  This is my vow as Ami Mai-Hana, successor to the Hana line!"

And then she cried with all the grief of a mother who had just lost her son.

**OoOoO**

Five teleport streams entered the Control Base.  The moment the brown-tinted gray hit the ground, the girl inside jumped into a fighting stance, every fiber of her being tightened. "Where am I?"

"This is the Control Base," commented Justin softly, "the main stronghold for the Light Elementalist Rangers.  Kamion?"

"I will explain to them," the Grid Master said gravely, his appearance startling the three newcomers. "You two—"

"Fred needs a med scan," Justin interrupted. "Jace's last technique was a prototype which might have left some unintended side-effects.  And you probably need a new flat reading for him."

"I trust you know your way around the med lab." There was a silent message hidden in the words, to which Justin nodded.

"The Power Chamber had the latest technology from Eltar," was his only reply as he turned, supporting Fred, who didn't seem to quite know his body at the moment.

And so he left the three new potentials to their fate as he headed towards the med lab.  Fred's movements were very jerky, but that was expected.  They were both—they were running on pure adrenaline right now.

If they didn't keep moving, Justin didn't want to know what they'd do.

Telling Fred to lay down on the metal table, he moved over to the familiar equipment and started setting up scans.  His fingers ghosted over the machines, inputting the proper commands.  As a green light encompassed Fred, Justin leaned back and allowed his tears to fall once more.  He felt so lost, just as lost as he had been when the Power Chamber had been destroyed and he'd watched the rest of his Ranger family disappear into the sky—because he had to let them go.  They had wanted him to come with them, but they understood that Justin was the protector of their identities now by sacrificing himself.

TJ had taken him aside before the decision was made and said, "Justin, I may not say this often, but I'm proud of you.  I'm proud of you as the genius, the boy, the leader, and the person who directed us when we had absolutely no clue on what to do.  For that, I respect you.  And I respect you even more for staying behind.  But, please, promise me this.  Live—I want you to live, all right?  Don't fall into despair; don't let yourself be overcome by those emotions that hurt you.  Please."

Before Justin could reply, the group came over and plans were set into motion.

Justin wished he could have answered.  Maybe then he could find some peace.

 _"TJ,"_ he whispered into the air with his mind, _"I wish I could do what you say, but I simply can't.  I'm sorry, so, so sorry."_

He felt oh so cold, and he distantly wondered if he actually preferred the pain of heat.

Justin's head snapped up as the med scan completed its job.  As he helped his fellow Ranger up from the table, he heard Fred whisper to him.

"Jace wants to show us... something important."

From the way that Jace had described his technique, Justin knew he shouldn't have been surprised that Jace was self-aware.  He was anyway.

"Jace?" he commented softly, a bit of hope in his voice.

"His voice is faint, and he's very tired, but he's there," Fred confirmed. "We might...  We could revive him."

"Not now though," Justin heard himself say, despite what his heart said. "Not until the war's over.  No matter what...  We can't risk something happening and..."

"...the Blue Tsunami Ranger might take him," finished Fred, the happiness in his voice dropping and ending any possible conversation.

They walked out in utter silence.  As Fred led the way though the Control Base's glistening white walls and twisting corridors, Justin retained one hand touching Fred at all time, attempting to draw mutual support.  Neither was ready to stand alone, in body or spirit.  Then Fred placed his hand on a doorway made of white marble, golden light flaring around his hands.  The great slabs parted, and the pair stepped through.

Justin's jaw dropped as he entered a world of serene light.  The replica of a field of grass on a hill bathed in eternal sun stood before him, untouched by humanity.  As he looked around though, taking in everything, he noticed the stone slabs that littered the area.  Kneeling at one, he looked at it and recoiled.

_Jake McGrail_

_Red Eruption Shadow Elementalist Ranger_

_1984-1995_

_May his soul eventually find peace for the wrongs done to him._

"What is this?" he hissed out loud. "He was only eleven!"

"A grave," Fred answered softly, spreading his arms wide.  All in all, the area held sixteen markers. "For all the Rangers that have fallen in the Elementalist War."

"But the Shadow Elementalists?"

"Jace explained it to me," the Gold Ranger merely replied. "The Shadow Rangers are already dead; what we fight are merely homunculi who have been given the appearances, personalities, and memories of their former selves, their souls trapped inside these false bodies.  As what had happened to the pervious Light Elementalist Rangers, they were integrated into the new being." Fred shivered. "A mere mockery of life."

"Six Shadow Elementalist Rangers and ten Light Elementalist Rangers," Justin whispered softly. "So many deaths...  And it is now seventeen."

Justin called the katana that Jace had used from the subspace where it had been put after his battle.  He stared at it briefly, his hands stilling.  Thrusting it into the ground, he declared in an unwavering voice, "For Jace Hana-Mai, the fallen Aqua Water Light Elementalist Ranger.  We, as Rangers of Light, do not fight for vengeance—but justice will be wrought for your life extinguished.  This is our vow as the Light Elementalist Rangers, successors to the Powers you have bestowed upon us!"

And then he cried with all the grief of a boy who had just lost his one of his closest friends.

**OoOoO**

Justin watched over the bodies of his three new comrades, each having accepted the Light Elementalist Powers.  Running his hand through both Nico's and Kayla's hair, he looked over at Fred, who was at the new girl's side.  He hadn't caught her name, too interested in the fact that Nico and Kayla had moved.  He idly wondered who she was.

Feeling Kayla, unsurprisingly due to her known tenacity, stir under his touch, he immediately drew his hand back and reached for the glass of water by his side.  Seeing her eyes open as she wearily sat up, he offered the cool liquid.  The new Silver Air Ranger grabbed it quickly, downing it without pause.

"Justin?" she gasped out.

"Welcome to my world," he whispered quietly.

She looked at him with penetrating eyes. "How long?"

"Since the Blue Turbo Ranger came onto the scene," offered Fred from his own position to the side. "He's been Rangering for that long."

"And you?" she asked, her voice brimming with challenge.

"I may have helped against Ivan Ooze," Fred retorted with what would have been anger had he not been so bone-weary tired, "but I've only started this not too long ago myself.  Don't get on my case; I don't have the strength to argue right now."

Kayla moved to retort, but Nico's hand stopped her.  When she turned to look at him, he spoke.

"Don't," he elaborated in as quiet a voice as he could muster as pain shined in his eyes. "They're obviously been though a lot—and lost far more than we can understand.  Leave them to their grief."

Justin helped his friends up with little effort; the Power increased a person's natural strength as well, though controllable and not quite as noticeably as when fully morphed.  After making sure they were all right, he moved over to Fred's side, waiting for the newcomer to awaken.  When she finally stirred, she sat up of her own accord, a testament to her resilience—and, perhaps, a quality that the Brown Earth Powers had found fit in her.

"You two are our seniors, huh?" she said, her voice calm. "I believe we go to the same school, but I don't think we caught each other's names.  I'm Sylvia Kwan, pleased to make your acquaintance."

As introductions made their way around, Justin held back.  The surname the new Brown Ranger had offered had sounded familiar, but he wasn't quite sure what it was.  Mentally reviewing the people he knew, he contemplated the names—and then cursed out loud in shock.

"Fuck me," he swore, much to the surprise of those around him. "You're related to Trini Kwan?"

"Yes, I am," she nodded. "She's my cousin; I visited her in Angel Grove a couple years back and was caught in an attack by Rita Repulsa."

"Holy crap!" Justin exclaimed again.  Before the others could wonder, he quickly added, "You're related to the original Yellow Ranger?"

"Trini's a Power Ranger?" shouted Sylvia in surprise.

"Wait, that means—" Realization dawned in Fred's eyes. "You've seriously got to be screwing around with me, 'cause then..."

Justin quickly nodded. "The original team consisted of Jason Lee Scott, Trini Kwan, Billy Cranston, Kimberly Hart, and Zack Taylor.  There were then added to by Tommy Oliver," at this point Fred's eyes widened, "before Zack, Trini, and Jason retired.  Their replacements were, respectively, Adam Park, Aisha Campbell, and Rocky DeSantos!" Kayla's jaw dropped. "Following this, Kimberly went to Florida for the Pan Globals and Katherine Hillard came in to replace her.  They then switched to Zeo Powers, with Billy retiring due to a lack of powers and Tanya Sloan stepping up for Aisha's relocation to Africa.  Following this, Jason returned for a brief stint as the Gold Ranger, but Trey from Triforia returned to retrieve his powers.  Rocky then hurt his back, leaving me," Sylvia appeared startled as she realized fully just how much experience Justin had, "to accept his position in the Turbo Rangers.  But then the other four were deemed too old to continue being Rangers in this society, so new people had to be called in—TJ Johnson, Cassie Chan, Ashley Hammond, and Carlos Vallerte!" Nico's face contorted as the full implications hit him.

"All of us have had interactions with former Rangers," Sylvia concluded. "That's just one more coincidence to bond us together."

"But all this time..." Kayla's head then snapped up. "What happened to the last four?"

Fred stepped in, his eyes blazing as he wrapped his arms around Justin. "That is not a story to be shared right now.  I assume that Kamion and Zeta will fully brief you on everything, and I mean **everything** ," he added to the Grid Master and mentor in a slightly vehement tone, "that is happening.  Right now, Justin and I will take our leave."

Justin could not look back as orange filled his vision.  Everything needed to wait—too much had happened in his day.

The only things he cared about at the moment were his emotions and how safe he felt wrapped in Fred's embrace.


	5. The Path to Completion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Sylvia, as stated, is Trini's cousin who appeared in one of the very early Season 1 episodes involving a circus and people being turned into cardboard. The Hades Gods come from Mahou Sentai Magiranger. Jace's, as well as Fred's, variation of ninja arts is heavily based on the system from Naruto in terms of how to power them as well as actual usage, such as the concept of kekkei genkai and assorted techniques, along with others to come. The system of spells of the Color Magics, as well as some specific, comes straight from Namco's Tales games. Oh, I might have unconsciously lifted portions of the Morphing Grid's existence that can be attributed to either Tsukino Akume or Ellen Brand. I'm not entirely sure, so this will be a standard disclaimer, just in case.
> 
> Notes: Yes, I'm keeping the journal style, if you've read this far. It just wouldn't be Power Rangers Elementalists without it. Or Justin, but that's a given. And, yes, I killed off Jace. You didn't think he was going to come out unscathed, did you? I said you wouldn't be seeing too much of him.

_Dear Journal,_

_Jace is dead.  I still can't get over the fact that's he's dead._

_The only solace is that his spirit is still alive inside Fred._

_Even if he can't speak to us right now because he's too tired._

_I...  I never thought that...  He meant everything to Fred and me.  He was our touchstone, as we were his.  I think...  No, I know that we both fell in love with him._

_But that chance is gone now.  It could be years before we can revive him—if we aren't dead before then.  I...  I want to believe in the future, but it seems so hard right now, so very hard.  I just...  I want to rest, but seeing Jace fade away in my arms was too much._

_The Power has taken away so much from me... but I owe it to Jace and the eleven fallen Rangers to end this._

_Kayla and Nico are strong, and I can tell that Sylvia, even if she isn't from Angel Grove, is just as strong, if not stronger.  We'll make a good team, especially if we can find Indigo before too long passes._

_It's just...  It hurts so much._

_It just hurts._

_~Justin_

 

He woke up, not for the first time, with Fred wrapped in his arms.  The two had taken to comforting each other through the day and the night, and their fathers, seeing them unable to get through their sorrow just when both had been recovering from bouts of loneliness, were all too willing to let them have their nights together.  Justin suspected that they believed a relationship between him and Fred, but the pain of Jace's loss was too close to even think of it.

"Morning," Fred slurred, hair tousled as he looked up at Justin with sleepy eyes.

"Good morning," Justin answered quietly, sitting up.  Fred pulled away, absently scratching his stomach through his night shirt. "You take a shower first; I'll brush my teeth."

As Fred rummaged around the room for some clothing, Justin headed for the bathroom, still rubbing sleep out of his eyes.  Yawning once, he silently paddled into the room, his feet making no noise on the tiled floor.  Glancing into the mirror, he was no longer startled to see the shards of orange hidden in his brown.  It had taken a while to get used to them; it was only recently that he'd not done a double-take with his eyes.  The Orange Magic left its mark as he was a Ranger; his eyes now said that he was a strong practitioner of the Orange Magic, though only to those who knew what to look for.  Jace's eyes had been particularly vivid with their aqua, Justin remembered with a pain in his heart.  He had been so much stronger than the faint bits of orange in his and the dull gold in Fred's.

Ignoring the fact that a naked Fred passed behind him to the shower, he began his daily ablutions, each done with a care not usually found in people his age.  As he brushed his teeth, the sound of the shower running to his side, his fingers trembled slightly.  He was getting better, he supposed.  As well as he could be.  Time moved on despite the loss; there were battles to be fought and monsters to kill.  The Blue Tsunami Ranger, Lan Yao according to his grave stone, seemed angry that he had been denied Jace's essence.  Though his rage was kept in check by his leader, the Purple Blizzard Ranger, a girl who once was Christina Chan, whenever he fought against Fred, his movements were that much sharper, that much deadlier.

But at times...  He sometimes merely stood, looking at Fred, just watching him.  It was... strange.

Shaking his head, he focused inward among the Light Elementalist Rangers.

There was only one glaring problem that stood among many.

They weren't a team yet.

Far too easily did that fall into their divisions within the group, often much to the detriment of their overall teamwork.  He and Fred were often found next to each other, as were Kayla and Nico.  Too many times was Sylvia left to her own devices.  She was strong though, more than able to take care of herself (partly due to her own strength and partly due to the fact that she lived in Charterville—while not as dangerous as Angel Grove, it had seen its fair share of battles), but the split among them was enough to be noticed.  It was a weakness they couldn't afford, not when they played the game they were, all high-stakes and no reset button, with prices that littered the gravestones of the Control Base, that killed teams before they could even see the ending, that left people like Jace or himself mourning the dead.

As Fred finished his shower and Justin stepped him after him, bare except for his necklace, he let the water flow down his body in a calming manner.

He was the leader, but he didn't know what he had to do.

**OoOoO**

"So, get into these messes often?"

Justin sighed when the girl turned to him and attempted to lighten the mood.  Brown hair framed in a warm face smiled openly at him, all lithe grace and open strength despite the fact that she was the same age as he.  Turning to Kayla, she added, "It must happen often enough here, huh?"

"More than you think," muttered Kayla under her breath, and Justin knew that the girl pretended not to notice out of propriety.

It had all started when Zeta frantically alerted him to the fact that the Indigo Ice morpher had detached itself from Fred's wrist, spiraling off into the distance in the form of a sparkling indigo light.  Learning from his mistake with Sylvia (she had given him a berating for pulling her out of her room, stating that she could have been anywhere else where there were people), he'd instead decided to go with the whole force to recruit—all morphed.

It'd just been their luck when the Red Eruption and Yellow Storm Rangers, Jake McGrail and Lisa Jerret respectively, appeared with the newest spirit.  The Red Ranger took one look at him and attacked, and Justin had taken Kayla and the girl, a newcomer to Boston, with him.  Fred, Nico, and Sylvia had moved elsewhere as the Yellow Ranger took after them.  When the spirit attacked, they'd found themselves trapped down here, and the magic in the walls prevented a morph.

Wherever "here" was.

They'd been given a nice present when they landed, which consisted of about twenty low-level spirits, none of which were comprised of energy.  Justin watched the new girl fight; she used one of the more esoteric styles which existed, but it was effective nonetheless.  He couldn't fault her in technique, strength, or, surprisingly enough, lethality when it came to what she did.

Especially when she cast the Ice Needles spell while still in her civilian form from instinct; though it brought back memories of his first sparring session with Jace, Justin was more interested in how much the Indigo Ice Powers fit her.  Sparks of indigo had instantly appeared in her eyes, brighter than a mere novice's should be, and she hadn't passed out from the fact that she accessed the Power for the first time, perhaps showing a familiarity in magic as well.  A repeat casting of Ice Needles confirmed that she had natural talent, considering that it had taken them a while before they could achieve the same, but it was also obvious that she wasn't quite used to the Indigo Magic, and she fell back to using that strange style.  The end of the battle led them to their current predicament, stuck in a rectangular room with two exits and a picture of a sunset.

"Let's go," murmured Kayla, and she turned to the left and walked through the door.  Justin cursed and made his way after her, Indigo's potential bearer following behind him.  A cold chill raced up his spine the moment he stepped through the door.  When the currently unnamed girl entered, the door slammed shut, and spirits spawned again.  The three quickly destroyed the spirits again, though it took longer this time around.

Kayla, growling, opened another door, and Justin was forced to follow her again.

When the same thing happened again and again, with variations on whether it was Justin or Kayla who led, the potential holder of the Indigo Ice Powers stopped in the middle of the room, sweat soaking her body and fatigue ringing out from her posture.  Fury raced in the indigo-tinted brown, and Justin took a step back in spite of himself.

"Is this how a Power Ranger team is supposed to act?" She stubbornly crossed her arms in front of herself, her anger spreading from her eyes to her body. "You two are so hopelessly fragmented that I'm afraid for our **world** at this rate."

"What do you—" Kayla blazed, but she cut in with a comment infused with such cold that it was no wonder that she was a candidate for the Indigo Ice Powers.

"You two don't listen to each other!  All you do is contend with each other and wish for people **who aren't here**.  If I'm going to work with you two, I need to know that I'm going to be **in a team** , not a group."

Justin hung his head low, feeling each word bite.  She was right; she was _right_.  The fragmented relations in the group had gone on for far too long, and the quartet they had made back in Angel Grove seemed dead.  But he hoped that they could remake it anew, add new techniques, formations, all of that—with six people.

"Kayla," he sighed, drawing the Silver Air Ranger's attention to him, "I can't say that I'm sorry for keeping my Rangering from you—but it had to be done; there was no other choice.  And I know that you don't mean to exclude Fred, even if it had been just us three for a while.  While things can't go back to what they were as when we were in Angel Grove, we can start over.  So, Kayla, can we finally start acting like a team again?"

Kayla, also sweaty from the numerous battles, stared at his outstretched hand.  A beat of silence passed before a tired smile crossed her face, and she clasped what was offered to her.  It wasn't everything, not just yet.  It was only a peace offering, and the pain would begin from here on, but it was a start. "Yeah, we can."

Justin then turned guiltily to the new girl. "I'm sorry...  I guess we haven't introduced ourselves, have we?  I'm Justin Stewart, Orange Fire Ranger and leader of the Light Elementalist Rangers."

"I'm Kayla Ko, Silver Air Ranger."

The girl smiled at them. "I'm Alyssa Enrile, and I guess I'm your new Indigo Ice Ranger.  At least, I will be when all this is over.  Now, can we finally get out of here?  I'm tired."

Justin smiled warmly even in spite of his own fatigue at the blunt yet kind tone.  Alyssa would be an interesting addition to their group, painfully blunt at times but still extremely kind.  She reminded him of who Jace could have been if he hadn't lost his own team. "If we can figure out what we're doing wrong..."

"'Look beyond the obvious' is what I'm thinking here." She gazed at the picture of sunset. "We need hope, the path to light, not darkness.  And that means," she turned away from the picture, raising her hand to the air.  Her eyes shined indigo for a moment, and then she pushed her hand forward, chanting, "O icy blade, fall, Frost Sword!" The blade of ice she conjured with the spell dug into the wall with a blast of chilling wind, and, with another cry, Alyssa thrust the magical sword straight through the wall.  The moment she did so, there was a blinding flash of light, and the three of them landed inside the park.  The sudden transfer broke Alyssa from her stupor, and she fell to her knees in surprise. "Head rush."

"Let's morph!" Justin called out as an order.  He thrust his hand into the air and called out in unison with two other voices, "Element Morph!"

"Orange Fire Power!"

Once the flames of his morph disappeared, he drew the Orange Fire Sword and stood in a protective stance as Alyssa adjusted to her new form.  The telltale sign of her resilience came when, not longer after the morph, the sparkle of indigo that was her drawing of the Indigo Ice Daggers caught his eye.  The Indigo Ranger stepped to his side and gave a smile in body language.

"Let's go kill that labyrinth creator.  That thing was annoying."

Justin couldn't agree more.

**OoOoO**

As Alyssa was sworn in (though it was a mere formality now, considering that the Indigo Ice Powers had already bonded to her), Justin was revitalizing his relationship with his friends.  Though he was not ready to talk about his issues with Rangering that stemmed from his fight in Angel Grove, he was reminded that he was among friends here, all of them.  As he leaned against Fred, he caught a flinch of disappointment in Nico's eyes, and he began to tune out the conversation between Kayla and Fred in favor of watching the Aqua Water Ranger and one of his closest friends from Angel Grove.

There was small things in the way that Nico acted, things that reminded Justin of himself and Fred as they developed feelings for Jace and each other.

It was something that Justin needed to nip quickly in the bud.

"Nico, can I speak to you?  Alone?" he amended upon catching Fred's eyes.  Confusion blossomed in the gold-speckled brown orbs before understanding dawned, and Fred gave a sharp nod.

"Uh, sure," Nico smiled slightly with a faint blush spreading across his cheeks.  They stepped out of the main room, and Justin led him to their study.  Amid the cozy chairs and books, Justin sat them next to the fireplace and pressed a button to ignite the wood inside.  He leaned over and sighed, feeling his heartstrings tug uncomfortably at what he was about to do.

"Nico, I really don't think you should be crushing on me."

The pole-axed expression on the Aqua Ranger's face said enough of what he thought of the statement as well as the feelings of hurt twisting along the edges.  Nico opened his mouth to respond, but Justin pushed forward, resentment curling in his stomach at the fact that, right after their group had come together as a team, he had to do this.

"No, I am sure of this.  I don't like it any better than you, but—Goddamn, it's not because we're both guys!" Justin burst out, tired with beating around the bush.

"Then what is it?" Nico asked coldly.

"It's because I loved Jace, and that I think I'm starting to love Fred," Justin responded quietly, stunning Nico into silence. "I know it shouldn't be possible for me to have fallen in love with Jace in the few weeks that I was with him, but Fred and I fell so fast and so hard and Jace did as well.  We all loved each other, but we know that it won't be once all this is over." Justin shook his head, willing the tears in his eyes to recede.  Jace's semi-death still hurt far more than he could imagine, even with the hopes for his future revival. "Fred and I though...  We've been dancing around this thing lately that, that we aren't too sure about.  We **think** it may be love, but we're not saying anything about it." Justin bit his lip as he spoke about things that he couldn't talk with anyone else about.

"And you don't want me to be hurt in the end, right?" he asked softly.

"I'm sorry, Nico, but I don't think that you should try to get involved with me." Even as he was saying it, the words sounded so callous and so unforgiving that Justin had to force himself to continue. "I thought that if I tried to nip this before he could evolve into more, it would save us a lot of heartache later on."

"I'm not going to stop loving you," Nico protested instantly, but, with the maturity that came to all Light Elementalist Rangers, he added, "but I will start looking elsewhere." Standing up, he leaned over and kissed Justin on the cheek, and the Aqua Ranger ignored the tear that slipped out of his eye. "For what could have been but will never be."

Justin trembled in his seat, even as Nico left the study.  Even though it was necessary, it hurt so much to tell that to Nico...  And he could only sit down on the seat, shaking with his emotions.  This was where Fred found him, sitting, crying, to take him back to Alyssa.

"Are you all right?" Fred asked needlessly. "We're needed in the main room."

Justin wiped the fading remnant of his tears and rasped, "Yeah." He stood up under his own power, but he needed Fred's support in order to walk without wavering.  It was beyond a physical weakness; it simply ate into his body, attempting to chew into his heart far stronger than battles in Angel Grove ever had.

Once they entered the Control Base's main room, filled with crystals of light, he noted that Alyssa wasn't quite steady on her feet, though he knew distantly that it was because, now that she was officially a Ranger, the Power was more opened to her than the limited amount that it had been.  It was yet another testament to her own power that she could fight under the conditions she'd been dealt.

"Welcome to the team," he smiled.

"I'm glad to be here!" She grinned instantly, posing with her thumb up.  The cheery girl would be a boon to them; Sylvia was a naturally taciturn girl while Kayla was a little rough around the emotional edges, and Fred and he were still too scarred by Jace's almost-demise to really contribute to the uplifting of their spirits.  Nico would need time to recover from the emotional blow Justin just dealt him, but he had a naturally sunny personality, more so than Justin himself was for the Turbo Rangers in both incarnations, and it would be up to (Justin grimaced in his mind) the Spirits of the Yin and Yang triangles in order to keep the group's spirits up.

But, right now, there was a formality to which they had to adhere.

"With this," Justin spoke, "the Light Elementalist Rangers are complete; no longer will we search for new Rangers.  To protect Earth from the forces of Evil, we will fight."

By instinct, he stood on one of the vertices the six-pointed star in the center.  To his left and going clockwise, Alyssa stepped onto that vertex, and she was followed in order by Fred, Kayla, Nico, and Sylvia.  With a twist in his heart, Justin realized that this was the same array that Jace had been about to use against the Shadow Elementalist Rangers when they'd killed the rest of his team as he was about to invoke—he didn't know, but it would have taken a lot of magic.

Dimly, the star on the ground began to glow the same colors that Jace's star had; black and white for Yin and Yang respectively.

"I am Justin Stewart, the Element of the Burning Fire, the Mind of the Yang Triangle of Light, the Orange Spellcaster.  I am the Orange Fire Light Elementalist Ranger."

"I am Nico Sanchez, the Element of the Flowing Water, the Spirit of the Yang Triangle of Light, the Aqua Spellcaster.  I am the Aqua Water Light Elementalist Ranger."

"I am Fred Kelman, the Element of the Dancing Lightning, the Body of the Yang Triangle of Light, the Gold Spellcaster.  I am the Gold Lightning Light Elementalist Ranger."

"I am Kayla Ko, the Element of the Blowing Air, the Mind of the Yin Triangle of Light, the Silver Spellcaster.  I am the Silver Air Light Elementalist Ranger."

"I am Alyssa Enrile, the Element of the Freezing Ice, the Spirit of the Yin Triangle of Light, the Indigo Spellcaster.  I am the Indigo Ice Light Elementalist Ranger."

"I am Sylvia Kwan, the Element of the Shifting Earth, the Body of the Yin Triangle of Light, the Brown Spellcaster.  I am the Brown Earth Light Elementalist Ranger."

"As the Light Elementalist Rangers," they chorused as once, "we vow to defend our land against those who wish to conquer it, to decimate it, and to all who wish to do harm.

"We are the Light Elementalist Rangers."

The star flared in a myriad of colors, swirling around them.  Justin felt his consciousness slipping away from him amidst the heady rush that filled him, but he had enough coherency to step toward the center of the star, as did the rest of his teammates.  As if with one mind, they piled their hands into the center.  Different backgrounds, different personalities, different strengths, different weaknesses, all of which were coming together with one purpose.  That was what they were about.

As one, the all raised their hands in the air, jumped, and declared their name for all to hear.

" **POWER RANGERS!** "

**OoOoO**

And, as the Light Elementalist Rangers, they fought long and hard.  The battle waged on seemingly without end; the Shadow Elementalist Rangers and their masters attempted to break the stalemate on the minor controlled nexuses, and the Light Elementalist Rangers rebuffed those attacks while similarly attempting to sway those same nexuses to their side.  The battle continued to draw, with the major nexuses never trading hands.  Evil held the nexus beneath the school (which caused no small amount of consternation whenever they were forced into classes) as well as one that lay near the outskirts of Boston.  Good, however, controlled the Control Base's major nexus, the one that resided at the sea, the park and the one underneath Boston's main policing headquarters—though the park was one that the Shadow Elementalists were sent to in a battle of attrition more than once.

Justin watched as his entire team evolved, in terms of magic and abilities and as people.

Fred strengthened his ninja arts under the influence of Jace's instincts.  Though Jace still had no conscious presence in Fred's mind, many of his instincts and flashes of memory were assimilated into the boy.  Jace's instincts had also taught Fred how to release the Yonjin no Fuin, the Four Gods Seal, which had sealed his ability to use the ninja arts, though he had no bloodline limit that required a second seal, as Jace had had.  Fred was far better at seals than Jace, however.  His field of magical expertise, other than his Gold Magic, was the magic of sealing.  With his abilities, it was easy for Fred to both break his Four Gods Seal and replace it with a seal that felt the same to another ninja but in no way inhibited his ability to create and manipulate chakra, the means of energy for powering his ninja arts.  Fred, along with becoming a fierce Ranger who sat outside during lightning storms just to see his element in action, began mastering the Reisesshoku, the Spirit Touch, which was Jace's kekkei genkai, otherwise known as a bloodline limit.  He wasn't as proficient at it as Jace had been, and the ability itself was useless as a Ranger due to its skin contact requirement, but Fred more than made up for it with his infiltration techniques, learned and honed throughout their time.

Justin remembered the day that the ninja challenged his great-aunt's family, the Ueda, for the scrolls which contained their Infiltration secret arts, as he was the one who stood at Fred's side when everything went down.

**OoOoO**

"I challenge you for the right to use to the Infiltration scrolls."

The Ueda compound froze as Fuuko Ueda, the oldest and, at one point, strongest in her generation of the Ueda clan ninja, as well as Fred's great-aunt, stared at Fred, with Justin flanking him.

"Do you think that you are ready for them, boy?" Her tone was cold and brutal, but Fred had faced far worse as a Light Elementalist Ranger during the past few months.  He showed no emotion as he replied.

"I wouldn't be here with him," Fred pointed backwards at Justin, who, when he straightened, held a dangerous aura of power only the foolhardy could deny, "if I wasn't sure.  He is my witness for the duel; choose your fighter and witness."

Instantly, murmurs arose at the audacity of a boy who hadn't been trained since eight years, who wasn't even a _true_ Ueda, claiming he had the skills to use the Infiltration scrolls.  It was a definite blow to the pride of many a Ueda who hadn't the ability to even think about attempting such a claim.

"And for what reason?  Have you starting taking up jobs at an Academy, boy?" There was a note of derision in the tone which Justin would have bristled at had he not been so in control of his emotions.

"I have more use in them than those who would let them languish here.  I have a _reason_."

"I would prefer that such arts were forever sealed," murmured the Ueda head, a softened note in her tone, "but if you say you have a reason...  With Ueda blood running through your veins, I have no reason to deny you it.  Joanne!" she called out sharply, and a young woman, strong, capable, stood and walked forward. "This is your opponent; I myself will be the witness.  I assume that you will have no problems with the Four Gods Seal?"

A ghost of a smile crossed Fred's lips at the mention of the seal which restricted the chakra flows of ninjas-in-training. "None at all; I wouldn't be here if it was still in effect."

"The duel will start fifteen minutes from now in the central training ground.  Everyone but the two fighters and two witnesses must vacate the area; Lloyd," she addressed a young teen only a year older than the two Rangers, "show them to their waiting room."

  1. Lloyd addressed Fred once there. "Why are you doing this?   You're only related to the Ueda via a grandmother who doesn't practice."



"Because I need the scrolls; I assure you that they will stay in the Ueda family." With that, Fred dismissed the boy and turned to Justin.  He brought a finger to his lips, and Justin nodded, taking out one of the group's inventions.  It was a small orb inscribed with _Nolite nos audire_ , or "Do not hear us" for non-Latin scholars.  It was a warding spell against prying ears which stored the magic needed for its enchantment inside the orb and then, after usage, regenerated itself over a period of time.  When no energy could be spared or risked being seen from the caster, it was perfect.  Justin remembered with a pang where they'd found the initial incomplete outlines for them—in the room Brady had shared with Jade Erin, the first Indigo Ranger.

Brady had become so dark when Jade had died...  He had scared the new Rangers with his rage.  Shaking his head and banishing his thoughts, he turned back to the orb in hand and murmured, "Nolite nos audire," feeling the spell take effect.

"Look, Justin," Fred leaned in close so that his taller frame touched Justin's slightly shorter one, both as a measure of comfort and so that his lips couldn't be read, "I need you to be able to not step in."

"I know that this is a duel; I won't dishonor you by interfering," he responded.

"This is going to be a battle of ninja arts, no more.  My magical abilities won't make an appearance here."

"I'm sure that you'll win; we've been fighting for too long and too hard for you not to." Justin offered a smile as he drew Fred in closer. "You've left Ninshad and your aversion to the ninja arts behind you," he said, referring to the monster who had sent his dad fleeing from Angel Grove, "and I expect you to come out with these Infiltration scrolls and then master them, all right?"

"All right."

Justin kissed Fred's cheek, and he grinned at the blush that spread across his friend's face.  Gripping the silence ball tightly, he broke the spell before it could expend any more magic, and he stepped back to allow Fred space to strip.

Fred stripped right down to his boxers, but that was a sight that Justin had seen for a long time now.  He began to wear armor, only light things such as shoulder and knee pads, nothing that would inhibit movement.  He finished it with some not-quite-loose clothing and an upper torso shirt which hugged his muscles in just the right way but still managed to hide the evidence of his arm guards.  He followed it up with a vest for scrolls and several pouches for projectiles.  Justin saw hesitation flare slightly in the Gold Ranger's eyes over whether he'd use a katana, the Japanese sword which was of the same family as the sword the Red Eruption Ranger used and in which Jace had specialized outside of his staff and fists, before he decided to use a scroll instead.

Fred, with set eyes and Justin's support, walked out into the designated area.  Justin quickly scaled to the spot where Fuuko awaited him.  At his nod, she called out, "With this battle, Fred Kelman asks for the right to the Infiltration scrolls by dueling Joanne Ueda." With one old but strong hand to the sky, "Begin!"

Fred didn't wait; three kunai were through the air before Justin had the time to blink.  It was mainly a test of Joanne's abilities, as Fred had done the same thing many times before with spells.  Joanne reacted by moving at eye-blurring speeds to evade the attack.  Justin's eyes began to hurt as he purposely pulled back any and all channeling of both his magic and qi to avoid detection, and forcing closed even the unconscious uses made all of his senses worsen, but he risked a slight trickle into his eyes so that he could still see the battle.

"Lightning Release: Dragon Dance." Another flashy move from Fred's side.  The same effect could have done more efficiently with any number of spells from various disciplines, but it was only ninja arts, so Justin didn't mind the waste.  As the dragons streaked and coiled out of the air around Fred, Joanne responded with a wind technique which summoned slicing wind.

The wind technique broke through the lightning-based one, but Fred countered with another wind art to cancel it, and he then went in to test her physical strength.

"You're not a ninja, are you?" The question was poised delicately by Fuuko, and Justin had to remind himself to stay calm rather than ready a spell at the implication in those words.

"No, I am not," Justin acceded, and he returned his eyes to the battle, where Fred managed to get close enough to use one of Jace's techniques, a chakra-infused kick which literally rent the air around it.  Joanne was sideswiped by the attack, and Fred pressed his advantage.  It was probably well that Fred was a black belt in karate and learned many moves from Alyssa's dad; the fact that his Zord relied on fists didn't hurt either.

"I see he's skilled in the physical arts as well," Fuuko commented. "He's got an interesting mix of styles there."

Justin didn't respond.  He was too busy dealing with dual sight at the moment.  He watched as Fred weaved his illusionary technique around Joanne, one that he had practiced many times before to hone.  His illusionary techniques weren't perfect, focused as he was instead on the traditional ninja abilities of espionage and infiltration, but he received a lot of help from their resident illusionist, so this one was damn convincing.

With the final whisper of, "False Mirror: Gold Lion," the illusion was complete.  Fred warped away with a Body Replacement Technique, but in his place was the illusion of the Gold Lightning Ranger.  For all intents and purposes, it _was_ the Gold Lightning Ranger, and Justin grinned when his double vision told him that Fred was readying one of Jace's techniques as Joanne travelled around an illusionary replica of their battlefield.

"Wind Release: Divine Wind Technique." The spiraling green wind was not an illusion, enough though the illusionary Ranger formed the seals as well.  Trapped by the False Mirror: Gold Lion and dodging the wind strands the technique known as _Fuuton: Kamikaze no Jutsu_ when Jace used it, Joanne didn't notice the real Fred until she was in the middle of dispelling the illusion, and that left her open for Fred's crippling blow, which knocked her out cold.

"I have won the right to the Infiltration scrolls," he announced calmly.  Despite all his flashy moves, Justin noted proudly that being a Ranger had strengthened his own limits and skills to the point where the ninja hadn't even fazed him.

"I have borne witness to the win," Justin pronounced.

"As have I," Fuuko murmured.  She stood, and she led the two of them farther into the compound.  Along the way, she sent Lloyd to tend to Joanne's unconscious body, and the boy sent Fred a glare that was coolly returned.  When they reached a sealed room, Fuuko began a series of hand seals to unlock it, and both he and Fred politely looked away; with their magical sight, they would have obtained far too much information of the sealing and unlocking mechanism.  Inside, Fuuko reached one of the chests, aged with disuse. "It's been too long since these scrolls have been opened, even if they're mere copies," she sighed. "Most learn from those already skilled in the Infiltration techniques.  But I assume that you don't have the time?"

"Neither the time nor the desire to learn them from an Ueda ninja," he retorted coldly. "You put my grandmother through hell when she was alive, and then, with her death, you sealed my abilities with the Four Gods Seal and never taught me again.  I need the Infiltration scrolls, and that's the only reason why I'm here.  Beyond that, I will leave with the promise that these arts will stay in the Ueda family and that, if I ever am in contact with you again, it will be far too soon." Justin wanted to offer Fred a measure of relief, but he could not at this moment for the sake of propriety.

"Then take them," she murmured.

Justin lifted them with only a slight amount of effort due to the latent magic running through his veins.  He put on more of show, though, just to keep pretenses.  At the edge of the compound, Fuuko Ueda asked one question from them.

"My great-nephew, from whom did you learn?  You don't move like an Ueda ninja or any of the Academies I know."

Fred smiled sadly, his mouth twisting into a bitter smile. "I learned from a member of the Hana family, but, beyond that, I am self-taught.  I hope our paths never cross again, Fuuko Ueda."

Without looking back, Fred left with Justin in tow.

**OoOoO**

Fred had cried as soon as they returned with the Infiltration scrolls, which they packed into their shared room in the Control Base.  And Justin held him.  Their relationship had deepened over the months following, and it was as he had told Nico—they were falling in love.  They weren't officially "dating" yet, but the occasional kiss was something that neither denied.

Nico seemed to recover quickly.  Justin figured that he was right in cutting the potential development in the bud; Nico seemed to let his emotions evolve into a gentle fondness rather than a burning passion—partially due to his empathy allowing him to sense the truth in Justin's heart.  The two ended up being close anyway, but Justin knew that their hearts would never beat like his did for Fred, though Fred had come to him more than once and professed jealousy at how they acted sometimes.  The one person that Nico was getting closer to, however, was Alyssa.  Their dual cheery personalities, at one point, should have repelled each other, but their water and ice specialists seemed to have an affinity for each other which they enjoyed to the fullest.

Nico had developed his Aqua Magic immensely; he was at about the same level as Jace had been at his death.  Though that meant that he was developing his powers slower than Jace had, he more than made up for it with his affinity for healing that surpassed even Jace's.  Justin had never felt anything like Nico's approach to healing magic—it was a wave of energy which filled him to the brim with pleasure that reached almost orgasmic proportions.  As a virile teenager, Justin blushed horribly when his wording was reflected in the state of his body after an intense healing by Nico, less a cold, almost clammy hand which numbed his wound like Jace's had been and more a heat that spread like molten lava across his veins and ignited his libido.

Yes, Justin would say that Nico's healing spells were like sex.

His studies into healing made him the foremost healer on the team, and his support role was augmented by his studies into alchemy.  Though a mere beginner, he'd already learned much of what was necessary to complete transmutations, if not all of the skill, and he was making headway into work with adapting alchemy for magical variables—when he wasn't working on updating his healing methods.  But his alchemy was asset, as he was becoming quicker and more precise with his creations.

Justin remembered, however, Nico's flailing attempts to become more attuned to his element with a fond smile and a slightly wane grimace on Nico's face.

**OoOoO**

"I'm the Orange Spellcaster, and I'm a better swimmer than you are," Justin pointed out dryly.

"Shut up!" wailed Nico as he desperately resisted Justin's efforts to shove him into the water.  One of the Control Base's many rooms had been converted into a swimming pool specifically for this training.  He knew that Fred and Kayla were competent swimmers, and Sylvia and Alyssa had shown that they were decent as well.  But despite being of the Element of the Flowing Water, Nico had thus far shown to be useless in what should have been his natural element.  Lance Drahin, the original Aqua Water Ranger, had had a passion for swimming, enough so that he was on his school's swimming team and was being scouted for colleges, as well as teaching classes on the subject.  Jace hadn't been bad either; though not of Lance's skill, he had still been strong and also been taught by Lance himself.

In memory of the two Rangers lost, Justin was going to force him to learn, especially because the lack of a swimming ability seriously hampered him.

And if he took a slightly sadistic pleasure from this, well, no one would comment.

Justin sighed and stripped himself of everything except his swimming trunks.  With all the grace of confidence, he dived into the water and began to tread casually, staring up at the still-reluctant teen. "Just jump in.  I won't let anything happen to you."

"I don't want to," growled Nico, who refused to budge from his place next to the pool.  When no amount of pleading worked, Justin got frustrated, and his telekinesis flared to life.  Like it or not, an invisible force unexpectedly pulled Nico into the water at chance.  The moment his body hit, the teen began to flail in the water.  Justin was immediately at his side for support, wrapping his arms around Nico tightly and letting his powerful (if magic-enhanced) legs keep them afloat.

"Push down on the water; repeat my motions," he whispered comfortingly into Nico's ear.  They remained dependent on Justin's legs for a while longer as Nico continued to flail, but soon his words broke through Nico's fear-fogged mind, and Nico began pulling his own weight.

"Why are we doing this?" Nico half-whined, his hair mattered to his head from the water that he had accrued in his attempts to learn how to keep himself from drowning.  His skin glistened from the water, and his face was turning slightly red from the effort it took to keep himself afloat. "You know that I can waterwalk."

"Because I don't want another debacle like with Mistmaid," retorted Justin. "Waterwalking didn't help you much there, did it?" He ignored the twinge in his heart from Nico's flinch.

It had been a disastrous battle.

Mistmaid had drawn upon one of the rivers to trap Nico inside an orb of water.  The two battled it out inside the sphere, with the other Light Elementalist Rangers dealing with the Shadow Elementalist Rangers and various grunts on the ground.  Nico's ineffectiveness in water battle proved costly in the end, and Kayla had to bail him out by dispelling the magical orb with her control over the winds after successfully sending the Pink Tornado Ranger, she who had been Amanda Bryson, into retreat.

The boy couldn't even swim, let alone hope to fight in the water.  On top of it, he was fine.  Beneath its placid surface, however, Nico was hopeless.

So Justin was going to force him to get stronger, as a leader and as a friend.

And with this their practice sessions continued.  While originally it was slow going, Justin's insistence and stubbornness continued to push Nico farther and farther in his training.  Justin watched as Nico continued to improve at an exponential rate.  His skill in the water was like a latent talent that just needed the proper push.  It was there; Nico just wouldn't access it.

As Nico became faster and faster in the water that was his element, he also grew more adept at battle underwater.  Justin watched as Nico moved gracefully in the confines of the heavy water, his Ranger form allowing him the ability to breathe even underwater.  His kicks cut through what surrounded him, leaving bubbles in its wake, and slowly but surely, his movements sped to the point where he could rend the water and leave only air behind.  It was a dance unable to be seen by many, and Justin felt he was privileged to watch such a beauty.

When Nico successfully completed his next underwater battle as if he was on dry land, Justin cheered as loud as he could and hugged the smaller teen.  A smile blossomed across his face, and he went out with Nico for a post-battle party.  This was their achievement, their secret party for an accomplishment that had only been communicated between the Orange and Aqua Rangers.

As they sat against the backdrop of the full moon, bottles of soda next to them as they sat above the crashing waves, Justin couldn't help but feel at peace.  Night surrounded them in its embrace, and Justin felt some of the still lingering pains ease with his friend.  Only the water broke the serenity of the scene with its beauty and its tranquility.

"Justin..." the name was half-whispered, but he heard it anyway, and he turned to look at Nico's profile against the darkness.  Brushing shaggy, slightly longer hair out of the way to reveal smoldering eyes, Nico gazed into Justin's own orbs, with aqua deeply contrasting against brown. "I just wanted to thank you for all that you did for me."

"You're my friend, Nico," Justin told him. "I know after Divatox's... stunt, you were afraid of the water, but I had to do something."

Nico laughed brightly, the sound echoing amidst the breaking waves. "You broke open a festering wound and let me finally remember the water.  I don't know how many people would have stuck with me through my fear and sadness."

"It's because I care about you, Nico."

There was no doubt in that statement, only conviction.  Nico turned away, but the eye which flickered back said enough.

Nico didn't reject the hand that was placed on top of his own, connecting two souls seemingly so opposite.

Justin once was a bright boy, now a teenager fallen into a cold existence, who burned brightly as the beacon into the future.

Nico once was a solemn boy, now a teenager bursting into exuberance, who supported the team from within and drawing them gently out of the past.

Two opposing forces, two opposites, now found a balance with each other.

There was nothing left to be said as they stared out into the moonlit night, side by side.

**OoOoO**

That course of events cemented Nico's relationship with his element, and it was also what cemented their friendship into something so much deeper.  The two of them worked so well together, it was almost frightening.

But Nico fell in love, as he had fallen in love with Fred.

Alyssa Enrile.

She was a beautiful girl, shining from the inside out.  She danced and bounced with glee; she enjoyed life for what it was, and she enjoyed helping people.  For all of their youth, for all of their shared misery and pain, Alyssa had come into this life a happy girl, and she continued to be one.  No amount of pain or fear could destroy the jubilant exuberance which she radiated, which she spread to all of them.  Justin, as well as his fellow teammates, recognized this beauty to inspire, to support, to heal and invigorate, and they all vowed to protect it.

Not to say that Alyssa was entirely the bright girl; she was her most of the time, and it was her true self as much as any part of her.

But there was no escaping the fierce fire that belied her element—she could be a goddess of rage when slighted in her beliefs.

Justin was correct in his initial assumption that Alyssa was familiar in the magics; her easy mastery of Indigo Magic came with her familiarity with nature, not only physically but magically.  She was in tune with nature itself, and she could draw power from it with her magic.  Justin occasionally felt slighted when she called the fire from the core of the earth, but he quickly got over it, as she also drew the elements of the other Rangers as well, though never ice.  Beyond her supreme magical prowess, she was also a deadly close range fighter with the power to affect her personal molecular density; those few who managed to flee Earth carried tales of a battle goddess who could walk through attacks one moment and tear metal the next.

They'd had their ups and down as friends; fire and ice often clashed with each other, as neither would back down at their strongest when they believed they were right, however, there were times when the two got along perfectly.

Sometimes, when they were away from the world, the two of them were a match.

**OoOoO**

Justin sat against the same tree in the park he always found himself.  It was the same tree he sat on when he first encountered the Light Elementalist Rangers when they fought a tree monster.  It was same tree he always returned to whenever he wanted to just sit in peace and relax.  He wondered if there was anything special about it, but he didn't particularly care.  He could relax, the faint rays of light which filtered through the leaves dancing merrily around him.  The world was at peace for these few moments for himself, and he felt calm.

Nothing mattered anymore, not being a Ranger, not anything.  Even the constant shadow of Jace's semi-death seemed to disappear under this serenity.  And, like this, he could even forget the haunting memories of the Power Chamber, of his own loss and pain and—if he dare say it—betrayal.

He didn't stir from his partial sleep when he felt another presence enter his range of senses.  When he felt someone sit down beside him, it was only then that he cracked open an eye and peered over at the other person.

Alyssa lay with her back against the tree, iridescent indigo-speckled brown closed to the world, her tanned skin darkened by the shade.  He offered her a smile which he knew she felt before he closed his eyes again.

There were no words to be said.  Both of them could appreciate a moment of silence among such rare beauty in the city, the call of the birds in the air, the warmth of the sun above them, and the moist chill of dew on the grass.  The sounds of the cars could not reach them where they were, and the laughter of people was reduced to only faint murmurs carried by the wind.

He felt a hand clasp his own, and he turned his head just enough to look at Alyssa.  Their hands entwined in the shade; the touch was entirely platonic—each knew that the other had someone to care for already—and it felt _right_.

"Can you feel it?" she asked quietly, letting the carefully poised question drift through the air.

Justin didn't respond for a moment, content to leaning back and letting his eyes fall into a half-lidded state.

"I can feel it."

He was referring to the pulse of life in nature.

As a spellcaster, he naturally could feel magic.  The tingle of nature was always at the back of his mind, and the few times he'd been in space had been a shock to his system—space had very little magic.

But now he felt the earth the way Alyssa did, could hear the song of the plants and the breath of the wind and the hidden beat of the land the way she heard them.  The symphony of nature was now his to enjoy as it ran through his body as it was channeled with Alyssa's magic.

So, in response for the unbelievable chance he was given, he let her see places he once saw himself.

Using his retrocognition, he showed her the worlds he had visited under Zordon's guidance, unveiling to her some of the past he kept hidden.  He showed her the beauty of other planets: the majesty of mostly land-bound Triforia, the aquatic grace of Aquitar even as it was still recovering from Hydro Hog's destructive rampage, the rural comfort of Liaria, and many more.  He also sent her pictures of the worlds he'd seen looking through old videos in Melissa Gran's and Adriana Budinski's storages—both of the previous Silver Air Rangers had loved other planets, and both had planned to visit them once the war was over.  A brief pain welled in his heart, because they would never be able to fulfill those dreams.

But he pushed the emotions away, instead focusing on sending the most vivid images through his retrocognition.

When Alyssa finally opened her eyes again, a smile touched her lips. "They're beautiful."

"Maybe, once this is over, we can visit them," he said softly, looking up into the sunlit sky.

"That'd be awesome," Alyssa agreed. "At the moment though, I'll make do with these images you've given me."

A small smile flittered across Justin's lips. "And I'll continue to listen to the orchestra of the earth."

The two of time continued to sit against the tree, doing one of the few things that connected them—embracing nature.

**OoOoO**

The symphony of nature brought them together, just as the breath of life Alyssa radiated drew another.

As another non-native of Angel Grove, there were some things about the place which Alyssa didn't, couldn't, understand.  She found solace in Sylvia Kwan, who had only visited Angel Grove briefly and never went back after the attack occurred.

Sylvia was a strong girl, quiet but passionate.  Rather than Trini's quiet grace of which Jason, Kimberly, and Tommy had spoken, Sylvia retained a subtle compassion which showed in her every movement.  Whereas Trini had been depicted with an ethereal beauty and serene disposition, Sylvia was, as her element implied, grounded in all senses of the word.  She radiated life from the very core of the being, whether in the form of her words or her actions.

As a talented writer, Sylvia brought life to the world she saw in her mind—behind her calm gaze laid a swirling multiverse of interconnected thoughts and ideas, all of which she had the power to grasp and pour out onto the page with such vividness that he swore she could paint pictures with her words.

And such words made her an innovative spellcaster with her studies into the discipline Brown Magic as well as magic in general, capable of modifying spells with mere words to counter the threat at hand despite being of the Body.  And such imagination allowed her to fully utilize her talents with self-replication and the illusionary arts, because she had the ability to see the world in different yet realistic ways, enabling her to create illusions only the strongest could break.  She could interpret the raw emotion that was reality and display it for others with her words... so why not with her own powers?

And because she had the ability to see the world differently, it wasn't too much of a stretch for her to see through the eyes of another—or adjust to seeing two different things at the same time.

Many a dangerous foe had been felled after she, after wearing down their psyche with illusions, suddenly split into several clones and left her opponent unsure as to whether they were real or not.

Her talent for words, however, also came into play when the two of them did what they loved best.

Trading monster stories.

**OoOoO**

"No way, no fucking way!" So much into her laughter, Sylvia couldn't contain the rare swear which dropped from her mouth.  The two of them were hanging out in the safety of the Control Base, Justin's room inside of the sprawling complex being their choice.  Both were currently on the large bed inside, and Justin had just recounted one of the tales from his time as the Blue Turbo Ranger. "You're totally lying!"

"I'm not kidding!" swore Justin, laughing just as much as she. "We really did get baked into a giant pizza!"

"What was Divatox _on_?"

"The same thing most of our enemies are!"

Sylvia snorted into her pillow, her laughter too great to be muffled by such a barrier.  Even her immense willpower gained from Rangering in one of the most dangerous Ranger Wars could not control her laughter.

The two of them continued to exchange stories of their respective hometowns, with Justin digging into his memory for some of the more memorable exploits of his predecessors (some of which were enhanced by the records kept by the Power Chamber—his heart gave a small pang—and some from his own point of view as a witness) and Sylvia cross-referencing the comic book Beetleborgs with their real-life counterparts (Justin had been astounded when he realized that the comics  predated the actual team) until their Metallix upgrade.  The two of them also delved into the exploits Lina Rana, Fred's predecessor with the Gold Lightning Power, and Hikari Takaishi, the first Brown Earth Ranger, so meticulously kept, and both of them felt for the Rangers lost, especially since Sylvia carried the powers Hikari once held.  While very few of the Light Elementalist Rangers' encounters had been as comical as theirs, there were some exceptions.

While being amused at some of the antics of their villains—and astounded at some of the hidden depths to their enemies—the two bonded in a way that few could.

Justin appreciated the wit that Sylvia readily wielded.  Though he could tell the fear in her voice from some of the monsters that rampaged, she managed to inject dry humor into the many occasions where the Beetleborgs battled, often replayed through the local television network—and, at times, with her watching from the sidelines.  When he closed his eyes, he could imagine himself in the midst of fierce battles which rivaled the Power Rangers' own.  It was nice, sometimes, to know that the Power Rangers weren't the only ones out there fighting, that the burden of protecting the world wasn't set solely onto them.

So, he shared stories of his own battles, his own trials against Divatox.  From his deadly birthday present to his stint with super strength, he recounted tales of his own stupidity and immaturity in the past, revealing parts of himself he bared to none.

And, eventually, the stories turned away from the monster of the week—or day, if Justin admitted to himself in his most tired state—and more toward personal matters.

Sylvia was so refreshing to talk to.  With none of the previous association he'd had with Nico, Kayla, and Fred, he could talk about things to Sylvia which he'd never had before.  He talked about his own insecurities as a child Ranger, as the newcomer, always destined to be in the shadows of his elders.  He talked about how he had to work hard to earn the trust of the newer Rangers, despite being more experienced and, frankly, better fighters than they.  He talked about the utter desolation he felt with the destruction of the Power Chamber and having no one with whom to speak.  He talked about his own losses, his mother's death, his father's departure, and his former teammates' disappearances.  He talked about the fear which still beat in his heart and crippled him at the worst moments.

In response, Sylvia bared her own heart.  She talked about her own insecurities in the team—being the outsider of a quartet, with Alyssa as her only partner —and how alone she sometimes felt.  She spoke of her own troubled situation—how hanging out with Trini that one time and being attacked by Rita had caused a rift in her parents' relationship; try as they might, each blamed himself/herself for putting her in danger in the first place.  She spoke of her own problems; when Sylvia had come to them, she'd been strong, but she'd also been far too thin.  It had taken a lot of encouragement from their team to get her body mass up to a safe level, especially with the high-energy consumption that came with the Power.  She talked of the underlying causes of her pain, revealing to him what she could not to others.

Together, the two found solace from their pasts and presents.  It was a mental and spiritual catharsis for both of them—weights were lifted from their minds and shoulders.

When Justin looked into Sylvia's eyes, orange-marked brown into dual-shaded earth, he said, "Thanks for listening to me.  This is the first time I've ever talked about this with anyone."

She silently shifted her hand to cover his. "Don't worry about it; it's the same for me."

And he smiled.

**OoOoO**

When the two of them talked, Justin felt like he could pour all his troubles out and shows all the shades of himself.

Over time, however, Sylvia found someone else to confide in.  Kayla Ko was the person she could go to with all the things that Justin could not comprehend, simply because he was a guy.  And the two became close for another reason altogether—they danced around the same thing he and Fred did.

Kayla had grown much in her time in Boston.  The passionate girl was still present, but the beauty which was her natural shining and playfully sensuous personality appeared much more often.  A powerful yet quick-to-judge mind easily fell to the genuine cheer Kayla found in being with the Rangers, though her protective instinct caused her to cut in whenever some poor fool attempted to tease the group.  She was still as headstrong as ever, however—more much impulsive than the bouncy Alyssa and quiet Sylvia.  She was prone to burst into battle, despite being of Mind, and had received wounds from the Pink Ranger to tell it.

She was much more outgoing than he was, and it showed in her development of her mental abilities.  While he could be described as a passive psychic considering his abilities were passive in nature, she was an active psychic, capable of doling out psionic bolts and creating balls of psi power.  She also could use telekinesis and postcognition—abilities they both shared—as well as psishielding which extended even into the physical world.  He didn't feel slighted, however, as his own were not to be scoffed at.

As well as having a talent for the Silver Magics, perhaps her strongest ability was to manipulate the world with her words.  Using an immense amount of magic, she could imprint a word onto reality in order to change it—the word ignite would cause something to catch fire anywhere it could and the word extinguish could dispel that very same fire.  At this point, however, she could only string together one or two words at a time, and never more.  With this power, however, came a great humility, as her initial hot-headed usage of it caused many problems until she learned to have patience and care for everything around her.

Despite her humility and maturity, of their original quartet, Justin often found himself at odds with Kayla, hurt she was by his secrets.  Slowly, however, they grew closer together, as he revealed more of his past, and she came to accept the effects of the weight his burden.

Their mutual acceptance allowed them to have moments where they could just forget everything and _move_.

**OoOoO**

He could feel the beats inside his body, urging him to move.  He could feel them as Alexander Mai, known to many as Alex and to few as the second Brown Earth Ranger, and Orion Ara, the original Gold Lightning Ranger, could.  It briefly came to mind that Alex had been studying dance magic, and Orion had been working toward being a professional dancer, but he sent those thoughts away as he lost himself in the beat.  His hips swayed to the motion, his black jeans turned almost sinful on his lean, toned, teenage body, as he disappeared into the music in its entirety.

He felt another slide up next to him, and the brush on his mental shields told him it was Kayla.  The two of them writhed mutually to the music, each one following the others in the fast, pulsing beats and flashing lights.  More than once, they passed each other in their heat, fingers grazing tantalizingly across clothes, but never more.  Passion surrounded their bodies to become a tangible force, excluding desire and sensuality despite their youth.

Sweat glistened on his skin, laid bare except for an orange tank top.  The crystal earring in his right ear flashed with the music, echoed by the shimmering silver top which Kayla wore.  As they danced around each other in the lights and sounds which would have made Cassy Lee, a talented musician and second Indigo Ranger, and Jade, a composer who had once been able make dance songs just as this, and proud, they looked to be a match, his tanned form against her lithe frame, his jeans to her pants which went to her knees.  Their arms only aided their sensuality, present even to the most casual looker.

Eventually, Kayla bowed out, snagging one of Vivemus's tables to the side and knocking back a soda.  Justin soon followed her, his can of cola already soothing his parched throat.

"You two dance something _bad_ out there," came a husky voice to their right.  The two of them turned to see another teen, one who Justin didn't recognize, watching them appraisingly. "I haven't seen someone dance like that since Mai disappeared."

"Thanks," Kayla murmured appreciatively but easily dismissed the boy.

"It's the beat," Justin responded. "It just... invades, you know?"

"Since Jade and Cassy went missing," the boy again stated, "the music hadn't been up to par, but today's one of the better ones.  You both looked hot out there."

Justin didn't like the leer which came across the teen's face as he glanced up and down Kayla's body.  He was about to say as much when Kayla snorted, turned her nose upward, and called Phil over.  The teen quickly took the hint from Justin's dark glare and Phil's approaching form and disappeared into the crowd.

"Was he bothering you, Kayla?" the man asked, steel in his eyes.

"It's fine.  I think Justin scared him off.  Thanks," she gave him a quick smile, and Vivemus's owner returned to overseeing the action.

Kayla looked at him quietly amidst the dark shadows and flashing lights.  Justin straightened up when Kayla opened her mouth. "I love dancing with you, Justin.  No one else can..."

"...feel the beat," he finished, his own lips twisting into a quirky smile. "Fred's hopeless, and Nico's not much better."

"Alyssa's relative innocence stops her from doing the same things we do, and Sylvia," the corners of Kayla's lips turned upward, "isn't all that graceful on the dance floor.  When it gets right down to it, I love the raw emotions we have when we dance together."

"All sexed up!" He threw back his head and laughed, Kayla's voice echoing his own.  They continued to laugh at his wording before tapering off into chuckles.  Finally calming down, he looked at her and admitted, "It feels right."

"It's because we know each other—I can synchronize to the beat and you, and you can do the same," she smiled again.

"And we knows our limits," Justin added, his voice sobering. "This raw passion of ours, we know where to end it."

"We're too smart not to," Kayla agreed.  And then—she gave him a leer that sent a blush crawling throughout his body. "You're damn hot though."

Justin masked the embarrassment with his drink.  He still wasn't used to the playfully flirtatious personality revealed when Kayla was truly comfortable, and it caused no amount of consternation considering he still blushed at everything. "Back at you," he shot back.

And it was true.

Kayla was hot.  While she did have a toned body from Rangering, and her natural good looks always caught eyes, he was referring to her hot-blooded personality which enveloped everything around her in warmth, in the protection she radiated, and in the sensuality which would always be a part of her.  It was inherent that Kayla was a guy-killer and that she had fiery personality and flirty demeanor.

It allowed him to touch his own raging passion and spill it out to mix with hers.  The two never found a balance as true as when they were dancing together, their hidden depths of raw sexuality revealed to the entire world through their sinful motions.  It didn't matter that he was getting increasingly involved with Fred, or that Kayla's interest in Sylvia was getting deeper and more mutual each day—their respective partners weren't ready for their blazing passions, so they found relief in each other.

When Justin looked into Kayla's warm eyes, he smiled when she said the one thing that was running through his mind.

"Dancing like this, with your body sweating and fire through your veins, is one of the most God-given pleasures I've got."

And he couldn't agree more.

**OoOoO**

The raw emotion which he excluded when he danced with her—it wasn't something he'd been able to reveal back in Angel Grove.  But here, in Boston, Justin found himself able to change.

While he was still the genius—he passed his classes without effort, using his spare time to learn about the Control Base and the old Rangers and various other things—he could easily share the burden of innovation and solutions with others, whether through their natural intuition or the team's reliance on magic more than technology.  It allowed him to develop his personality a bit more, allowed him to discover his passions.  He wasn't simply the nice, cheerful boy as he was in Angel Grove; now, he could dance with his darker emotions and come out on top.  He understood his own darkness, and he lived with it and was all the stronger for it.

Strong enough to use his mental powers with control.

As he stated before, he was a "passive" psychic—his repertoire consisted of retrocognition, the ability to let others see what he had seen, postcognition, the ability to see what was in the past, precognition, the ability to see into the future, telekinesis, and, what was perhaps the most dangerous of them all, telepathy, the ability to hear and speak with the mind.  His last ability, upon its development, had severely freaked him out, and he spent the better part of that month either meditating or in isolation, until the point where he could block out others.  He was considered a passive psychic, as most of his abilities were useless in battle; his precognition leaned more toward premonition rather than active foresight, and his telekinesis was less a strong pulsation (as was Kayla's) and more a fine control.

He wasn't a slouch in the battle department, however.  He was deadly with his fists, Rangering sharpening his already bountiful talent.  He also quickly picked up the sword, and the Power opened him up to many different styles.  According to Kamion, even without the Power, he was advancing far more than was normal.  In a few months, he'd be at the stage for qualifying for Blademaster status, and he'd felt a little thrill at that, though he tempered himself.

In battle, aside from his fists, sword, and blaster, he also used his ability to control qi, which allowed him to summon blasts of energy and empower himself even farther than the Power already did.  His qi reminded him of the Dragonball Z animé, and he secretly hoped that he could learn how to fly, though he was more focused on developing his psychic abilities rather than his qi control.

Justin knew, however, that, for all his powers, he wasn't invincible.  The Power Chamber's destruction continued to haunt him, even though he had conquered his fear of fire.  His immersion in the Orange Magic discipline allowed him to differentiate heat from his memories, but flames tinted with evil magic such as those the Red Ranger used still continued to evoke the painful emotions in him.

But...  He was better than he was.  It was in large part due to the support of his friends and fellow teammates, as well as his talks with Kamion (though he'd never reached the same level of familiarity with him as he had had with Zordon and Dimitria).

The point where he truly allowed himself to heal, however, was one he refused to share with anyone.  Because it marked that somewhere out there, his old teammates still cared.

**OoOoO**

Justin was never so surprised when he opened up his email to see one from TJ.  After loading it, it was all he could do to keep reading, one hand grasping tightly the necklace which never left his neck.

_Justin,_

_God, it's been a while, hasn't it?  All of us here—we're sorry we haven't contacted you, but we weren't able to do so.  Actually, we aren't supposed to be contacting you, as Andros doesn't want our position to be tracked by Astronema—we'll get to that later—but we kind of went behind his back to do this.  So if we don't contact you again, know that it is because of this, not due to us abandoning you._

_Justin...  We want you to know that we're Rangers again._

Justin paused in his reading, his heart pounding in his chest.  They... were Rangers?

_Andros recruited us; he wanted to know what the hell was going on.  I think he also pitied us a little bit.  Anyway, we've been all over the galaxy looking for leads on Zordon, but the United Alliance of Evil's always been one step ahead of us, and Astronema, the general from the Alliance who's assigned to us, always has us somewhere.  We pop in occasionally back at Angel Grove as Rangers, often enough that the formers won't think to look for you, if there's any indication of what we're feeling.  Anyway, we still live our lives somewhat—just a bit stunted and, well, Andros refuses to let us talk about our mission.  He doesn't think Earth Rangers can hack it in battle, which we're in often.  It doesn't help matters that the Astro Powers feel... slow._

_No, don't listen to this doofus here!  He's just jealous that he's been demoted to Blue—not that Blue's a bad thing,_ Justin's huffing stopped at the hasty recovery, _but Carlos is Black, and he's second-in-command here.  Us girls kept the same colors, by the way.  And TJ, the Astro Powers are plenty powerful!_

_Ashley, they're powerful in their own right, but the Turbo Power...  It felt so much better._

_TJ's got you there, Ash'.  The Astro Powers are nice and all, but we were never so complete as when we were Turbo Rangers._

_They're gone though, Carlos, so we're making do.  And they're not bad at all.  TJ just misses you, that's all._

_Well, yeah, of course I miss him, Cassie.  He's **Justin**._

Said boy stifled a giggle at the familiar banter between his teammates, and his heart felt warmed at how TJ continued to care for him.

_We all miss you, Justin.  We want to come back, but we think you'd understand how important the search for Zordon is._

_Yeah, you've actually worked with him.  We only met him when the older Rangers passed their torches._

_We know you'd want us to try our best searching for him, and we are.  Sometimes, though...  We're worried about you._

_We spent almost every night (or, at least what our bodies deem night, damned space travel),_ Justin stifled another laugh at the voice which was so Cassie he could almost hear her standing behind him, _waking up with nightmares from the battle.  We're attempting to deal with it as much as possible, but...  We can't._

_Not without you here, Justin.  Not without you._

_We can't discuss it with Andros—our Red Ranger—because he doesn't understand, not in the same way, and not with him refusing to open up to us.  But at least we have each other._

_Justin, we're worried because you have no one.  But, please, try your hardest to deal with it.  Even if you don't want to talk with any of the other Rangers... Know that, out here in the stars, we're there for you._

_When all of this is over, we need to talk.  But we need to find Zordon first...  We'll try our best to hold ourselves together, so you need to too, all right?_

_I love you, Justin, for being the boy who helped us when we were lost._ Justin could imagine the tears choking Ashley's voice.

 _I see you as my little brother.  Please, hold yourself together until we get back._ Carlos's words made him smile.

Cassie's made him laugh out loud. _You'd better hold yourself together; otherwise I'm kicking your ass.  We're been through too much, lost too much._

_Justin, this is TJ, and I've sent them all away.  God, do you know how...  how scared I am?  I keep thinking about the Power Chamber, about all the command decisions I had to make...  And I realize that, if you hadn't supported me through each of them, Goldgoyle would have killed us.  I thank you so much for that.  It's not just that battle either—you've supported me the entire time, allowing me to become this leader...  It's because you made me the person I am now that I don't want you to fall into your darkness.  Justin...  Remember my last words?  If you aren't following them to the letter, don't be sad, because I'm having trouble as well.  Writing all this brings all the fears back...  Justin, we really need to sit down and talk.  I need...  You were the only person I could talk to, you know?_

And Justin remembered, with tears in his own eyes, the many days TJ had come to him, his strong presence crumbling with his fears.  He remembered comforting the teen as best he could, and how the Red and Blue Rangers bonded together.  TJ hadn't been the only one—Cassie too came to him, though they never reached the same level of closeness.  Ashley and Carlos had each other, as they had already been friends as well as from Angel Grove before being Rangers.  But, Justin remembered seeing TJ as a brother, where others had failed and left.  And it hurt to see the teen he was so close to so near a total breakdown.

_Justin, I want you to try to heal, and I'll try the same.  And, when the five of us are back together, we can talk and, maybe—yeah, you know what I mean.  Justin, stay strong until Zordon's back with us, and we can give back these powers and rest._

_I miss you, my little brother._

There ended the letter, and Justin couldn't stop the tears in his eyes.  He missed his team so much.  It had been a loss he pushed back into his mind, but now it flared anew.  He missed having Ashley's and Carlos's refreshing banter, Cassie's headstrong comments, and TJ's comforting presence.  He loved the Light Elementalists Rangers, but Turbo Rangers were his initiation...  And the lingering fear that they would abandon him was now dispelled.

Tears continued to flow down his cheeks, and he did nothing to stop them.

But...  He took heed his team's words and started to heal himself.

**OoOoO**

It'd been a good long while since their beginnings, and Justin could safely say the six of them were a team.  While the Shadow Elementalist Rangers and their masters continued to plague them, Justin felt comfortable in his team.  They were finally complete—they were the Light Elementalist Rangers, and Justin knew they would stop at nothing to protect the Earth.


	6. Blast from the Past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Alyssa is that Alyssa from Power Rangers Wild Force. The Beetleborgs and Charterville belong to Saban.
> 
> Notes: I'm trying to be discreet, but there are some implications... If you read between the lines, you'll understand what they are. Please remember that none of that will ever have an explicit reference, in deference to the T rating; they're only used to exemplify significant changes.

_Dear Journal,_

_Somehow, it feels so long since I started writing in you.  I look at the creased pages, the tear marks, the times when I could barely write whether due to injury or happiness, and it seems like an eternity.  I've changed so much since I became the Orange Fire Ranger...  I haven't fully recovered from the pain of losing the Power Chamber, but it's a lot better since the rest of the team got that letter to me.  They haven't been able to since, but I know they're trying hard.  We still get updates here, after all.  The Astro Rangers are getting a lot more famous than they were when they just defended the Kerovan system._

_I'm head over heels in love with Fred.  I love him so deeply.  I'm close with Nico and Kayla and Sylvia and Alyssa—I'd do anything for them—but Fred's the one I love so much.  I can feel my heart beating for him, so pure and so strong._

_I tell him a lot of things.  Small things.  Things I haven't even told Sylvia in our sessions.  And he understands._

_Our time as a team has made us close, very closer.  Closer than many other teams in fact._

_But we've come no closer to winning...  But I have a feeling.  There's a tingling in my skin.  Something important's going to happen.  Maybe it's my precognition, despite being as weak as it is.  Something is going to go down._

_-Justin_

 

Justin tucked his well-worn pencil back into the spine of his orange-colored journal and nestled it with an affectionate pat back with the blue one which held his memories of his Turbo Ranger days.  He liked having the words down for him to read, if only to never forget all the pain and loss—as well as the happiness and joy—he'd gone through.

But, at those times when he compared the two journals, his heart began to ache.  He could still see the innocence which had been one of his greatest boons to the Turbo team when he read the words he'd written first back in the orphanage and then in the house he and his dad had called home in Angel Grove.  It was an innocence which had slowly dwindled as the battles wore on, reduced to mere sparks by the time he had moved to Boston.

It'd vanished altogether when Jace sacrificed himself to prevent the Meifuushin from being summoned.

And the void which took up residence in its place began to grow.

Now, whenever he read over his past memories, it was with a dull pain in his chest.  Tears brimmed to the surface whenever he thought of how much he'd already lost, of how much he'd given up in the name of the Power.  Though he'd already let go some of the terror of fire, he'd been left with a distinct void, which he could feel with every reminder of his past.

Sometimes, something he'd see would cause him to freeze, dredging up a memory of happiness when he could laugh in complete mirth, when he could live through life without burying his tears.  And his eyes would burn, though he did the best to hide the hot tears, and it'd always hurt.  Even when he was with Fred, laughing as much as he could allow himself with what happiness he could muster, he would shake and bite his lip—but never cry.  He'd cried enough, and if he let the tears flow, he'd have to acknowledge the ever-growing pain.

He'd always been an emotional child, quick to burn and quick to fade.  He'd worn his heart on his sleeve, despite the hard knocks life had dealt him.  Once his heart had been shattered and he'd been forced to shove his emotions to the side for the greater good, he'd begun to withdraw into himself.  Justin saw how much internalizing his emotions hurt him—but he couldn't help it.

He'd already asked so much of his team—they'd followed him into so many tight situations, and he'd asked things of them he knew were difficult and suffered much for what they've done, so he couldn't falter, couldn't show them his weakness.

But damn if it didn't hurt so badly sometimes.

Taking in a deep shuddering breath, he shut off the lamp and moved to sit at his windowsill, leaving his room bathed in starlight.  Looking out into the darkness, he felt a bit of tension flow out of him, and he reclaimed some of his composure.  A battle had been won earlier—not that they'd lost very many battles—so he could relax.  It was a big one, with all six of the Shadow Elementalist Rangers as well as two monsters present.  They'd been after a minor nexus in the quarry, and all of the Light Elementalist Rangers rebuffed them.  Nico had taken a particularly harsh blow to the chest from Blue's scythe shaft, but he'd easily recovered and brought himself back into the fight.  The bruise left from it was their worst injury.

At least, on their side.

Justin himself remembered using Dragon Pulse to distract the Red Ranger as he'd gone after Purple.  A few well-placed strikes, and the leader of the Shadow Elementalist Rangers had fallen back with howls of pain.  An Explode later, and she'd teleported away to lick her wounds.

He only wished that battles were always that simple.

He broke himself out of his reverie when he felt a small tingling along his senses.  His spine stiffened in shock as something flared across his mind.

It was disturbingly close to a cry for help.

It was then that the communicator on his right wrist beeped a few short beeps, and he tapped it to open the communication. "Zeta, what's up?"

"Our sensors are indicating a high-speed craft which will enter Earth's atmosphere in ten minutes.  It's moving exceedingly fast and Kamion wanted everyone on standby."

"I'm there."

Orange swallowed him up—teleportation to the Control Base was absolutely nothing like the magical teleportation, or, more accurately, warping, they'd been trained to do, now that he had a reference for differences—but it felt far more comforting.  When he appeared, he belatedly realized that he was still in his sleeping clothes, which consisted of a loose pair of orange shorts with nothing, not even underwear, beneath.  Underneath Alyssa's and Sylvia's gazes, though they'd all at some point or another seen each and every one of them naked, his body flushed bright red, and he ran so fast to his room he could have sworn he still had his Turbo Powers.

Slipping into an orange t-shirt and some tan cargos, he returned just in time for a nearly-naked Fred and a semi-dressed Kayla to dash past him, leaving Nico behind amused.

"Sometimes, we forget what we're wearing at night while in the safety of our room," sighed Sylvia, a soft smile twitching on her lips.  She was still fully dressed, though in less layers than she normal wore.

"I don't change till right before I go to sleep!" Alyssa beamed.  He noted she was still in an outfit which would be perfectly acceptable in broad daylight.

Any further comments were interrupted when Fred and Kayla returned, fully dressed this time.  As one, the six Light Elementalist Rangers turned to Kamion, who overlooked all of the occurrences with the amused affection of a father.  Eventually, the man's face turned solemn as he beheld each one of his Rangers.

"This isn't the first time that we've had these, but I want you to be on guard.  Normally, the ship would respond to hails, but this one is unidentified.  There is little chance our enemies will chase it, but in the event they will, I must express that you are to use extreme caution."

"Any chance we'll have to deal with the Treaty?" Justin was forced to ask, all too reminded of his own initial dealings with the stipulations placed by the Treaty.  They all knew, especially during the one time the two sides had worked together against a common foe.  Avaricion, a space pirate, had been sent to pillage Earth, and he'd chosen Boston as his landing point.  Already in karmic debt for their own breaches, the Evil side had quickly teamed up with Good in their one and, so far, only alliance to expel Avaricion before he could add more charges against them.

It'd been one of the quickest battles in the history of the Elementalist Wars.

With twelve Rangers meeting him when he expected none, Avaricion was quickly annihilated.  Justin remembered distinctly when his own Flame Lance spell melded with Purple's Hoarfrost Aura—and the icefire spewing forth had killed the pirate before anyone could react.

Bringing himself out of his thoughts, he listened as Kamion finished, "...at Angel Grove."

Immediately, his back stiffened.  Eyes blazing, Justin leaned forward to hiss something out, only barely restraining himself.  With a fury in his posture, he said tightly, "I think I might know where.  Give me a few seconds."

Zeta stepped aside as Justin approached the panels and his fingers flew over them.  No one dared say anything until he was done, which was announced by his rapidly paling face, as if all the anger had bled out. "I was right..."

Fred stepped forward, wrapping his arms around Justin and offering comfort. "Justin?" The name was voiced softly, hesitantly, but it held all the comfort he could pour into it.

"I'm sorry." He shook himself free, steel tightening his body. "I know exactly where they'll land." Haunted eyes stared at the group, but all he did was shake his head. "I'll teleport us there."

His fingers slipped over a button, and all six of them were gone.

When they reappeared, Justin only hoped that he'd chosen a far enough position.  Looking around him, at the cliffs and bluffs, it was all he could do to keep himself standing.  Fred tightened his arms in response.

The six Light Elementalist Rangers didn't speak, Alyssa only commenting on the beauty of the early night.  It'd been farther in time back in Boston, but, here, it was only just into the night, and the sharp wind held none of Boston's chill.

When a flaming streak fell down and landed not too far from where they had been, Justin warped them all there once the shockwaves and rumbles died down.  While teleportation was one thing, warping was quite another.  Instead of an extremely fast movement from one point to another, warping connected two points in space and allowed the warper to move from Point A to Point B without disturbing anything in between.  It was quicker—and harder—than teleportation but a skill all six had been forced to master early on.

Nico grimaced as they came across the spaceship, which was heavily damaged and was on fire.  Raising his left hand, he cast Splash, an intermediate Aqua Magic, without uttering a word and with a far larger radius than the spell would normally cover.  It poured streams of water down over the affected areas, quickly containing the largest of fires.  The others moved to help as well, Fred using a denser version of his Hiding Mist Technique to choke the flames, Alyssa summoning a small rainstorm with a nature spell, and Kayla commanding the word _Extinguish_ on some of the larger fires.  Sylvia stood back and laid a hand on Justin's shoulder.

"Are you all right?" she asked quietly.

"This place is too close," he murmured but refused to elaborate.  There was sadness in Sylvia's eyes, but Justin forced himself to smile at her softly. "I can't...  I'm sorry."

"It's all right."

They turned back in time to see the last of the fires disappear.  Justin stepped up to the ship's entrance and, familiar with the technology, quickly hacked the door code.  In a few minutes, it was wide open.

"Ranger up, guys," he said humorlessly. "We don't want to be caught out in the open."

Fred was the only one who protested. "It's much easier to creep around in my natural form." As their stealth specialist, Fred often scouted ahead and did infiltration and reconnaissance missions.  He explained that he was more used to sneaking around in his natural form rather than his Ranger form.  He had also added with a slight smile that it was much easier to simultaneously hold chakra and magic cloaks as opposed to chakra, magic, **and** Power cloaks.

With the call of, "Element Morph!" five of them morphed into their Ranger forms as Fred cloaked himself so deeply that Justin, even with his Power-enhanced senses, couldn't feel anything.

Fred made a few chakra seals with his hands, whispering, "Sealing Technique: Wave Deflection," and touching a circle on his right inner wrist.  A technique of Fred's own invention, the Sealing Technique: Wave Deflection used a seal—which Fred prepared in advance after every shower—infused with chakra and sealing magic to bend any wave in such a way that the user was rendered invisible to all sight—at the same time inadvertently rendering many motion sensors useless.  While it crippled the eyes, it was only through Fred's own soundless movements and odorless body (the former due to training and the latter due to a magical seal) that it could succeed.  Of course, it couldn't fool sensors which relied on pressure or heat, but it would do against humans.

Fred disappeared into the space ship as Sylvia began weaving a complex illusion around them, designed to fool even machines.  Such a powerful illusion was rare for her, and she stumbled after its completion, but Kayla was there to catch her.  Their Brown Earth Ranger was up in a few moments, and the group soundlessly entered the building.  They did not stray far from Sylvia, as it was easier to hold up illusions based around people when they were closer to her, but they still efficiently searched rooms.  There was nothing to indicate who the ship's passengers were or where their allegiances lay.

"There's nothing," Kayla indicated in body-language, a hint of frustration in her actions.

Suddenly, Fred's mental voice flared in his head, and Justin broke all pretenses of stealth.  Fred was in trouble, and Justin intended to be there.

Justin's Fire Shooter appeared in his hand, and he snapped off three shots, diving into the Red Ranger who had Fred's Gold Ranger body by the sword point.

It became chaos as the six Light Elementalist Rangers fought four of unknown designations.

In the spacious room they found themselves in, Justin refused to let Fred go after Yellow, as color instincts often urged.  Instead, he let Nico and Alyssa plow into her, focusing on Red with Fred as his side.  Parrying a sword slice with his Shooter, he pulled himself into a roundhouse kick, shifting into a side kick once the initial hit was blocked.  Fred stepped in, chakra adding a deadly aura to his already lethally fast kicks, with his Chakrams already in hand.  As Red was attempting to block the raining blows, Justin focused on his magic and silently cast an intermediate level Orange Magic spell.  The Raging Mist quickly spread through the area—though his own teammates were unaffected, his opponents were quickly engulfed by the hot mist, with immense heat scorching their bodies.  When the spell ended—combined with Kayla's Whirlwind, a Silver spell which pretty much did as its name implied—it resulted in four panting figures... whom Justin immediately recognized.

He summoned his blade with the faint whisper of, "Orange Fire Sword," and held it to the neck of the Red Ranger. "A nice try at imitation, but it won't fool me.  The Astro Rangers have a Black, not a Green, and there's a new Red.  Who are you?"

"What do you mean?" The man looked up, and if it weren't for the fact that he knew otherwise, Justin could have sworn it was TJ.  But it wasn't—and it made him all the angrier.

"Carlos?" came Nico's choked cry, and the Aqua Ranger moved to stand by him with his healing magic at ready, but Justin splayed his left hand out, and Nico halted.

"Don't move, Aqua; that's not Carlos," he hissed dangerously. "Carlos is looking for Zordon right now, and he's wearing Black.  He's not a Green at the moment."

Suddenly, a sliver of the same fury which held Justin in its grasp possessed Nico.  Instantly, the white aura covering his hands disappeared, only to be replaced by something far more dangerous.  The raging force of water disturbed shined from his hand, a powerful spell dancing across fingertips which came to rest at the Carlos look-alike's chest. "Orange will not repeat himself again.  Who are you?"

"Peace be, if you are Rangers of the Good," a soft, calm voice called from the side.  A woman entered, serene grace in her every moment and clothed in the soft white silk.  Dark, curly hair went down to her shoulders, and she gazed at them from behind a face shroud which covered the lower half of her face. "We mean you no harm.  I am—"

"Inquiris's White Sorceress," breathed Justin softly, choking on the following name, "Dimitria." The others did not fail to notice the name, and all five of them stiffened then bowed at the Grid Master before them.

"So you've heard of me?" she asked quietly.  Brown eyes took in the Rangers before her—strong, capable, and more than a match for most enemies.

"I didn't know what had happened to you after you left to aid the fallen Eltar," Justin said softly, his pose and sword arm relaxing.  He leaned forward, pain in his every gesture. "I'm not sure if I should hate you for what you did to us." If his helmet had been off, Justin knew he would have been smiling bitterly.

Fred took a step closer to him as the four Rangers—who looked so very much like his former teammates—closed ranks before the White Sorceress. "Do not dare insult her," the faux-TJ hissed darkly.

Justin closed his eyes, whispering menacingly, "I believe I have the right, for all the pain I've—we've—gone through and continue to feel." He reached up and grabbed his helmet, automatically shrinking down to his normal height.  Justin, in his standby mode now, opened his eyes, the brown mixed with an orange far stronger than it had once been.

The reaction was immediate.

"Justin?" the four voices cried out from the look-alikes before him.

Dimitria stepped forward, past the Rangers guarding her, and there was pain in her eyes, despite all the shields the aloof woman held. "Justin, my child—"

"Do not call me your child!" his voice cut chillingly deep across the room as he stepped back from her, straight into a standby Fred's arms once more. Dimitria flinched at the raw pain and anger in the words, as the Light Elementalist Rangers themselves closed ranks in order to form a barrier between her and their leader—their _friend_.  Colors—aqua mixing with silver, gold shining with indigo, brown flaring with orange—surrounded them as a true testament to their strength.

"Not a step closer," ordered Alyssa, and a trail of ice unwittingly slithered around her frame in her anger, lending credence to her promise.

"What has occurred to make you hate me so?" Dimitria asked softly. "Where are the others?"

"Let's go to the Power Chamber to sort this out," the fake Ashley inputted.

"Yeah, let's go," the false Cassie agreed.

Justin flinched the first time and blazed in anger the second. "You want to know why?  I'll show you why!" He lashed out with his psychic powers, ensnaring the entire group with his retrocognition in his own pain and torment.  The scenes of battle, the decimation of the group, the annihilation of the Power Chamber, all of his emotions at the times, the scattered bits of his nightmares which finally coalesced in a true picture.  Being retrocognetic, he had near-perfect memory, all readily accessible.  And he ruthlessly used it to show everything, everything that occurred.  With his powers at their peak due to rage, it was as if the group were invisible ghosts during the entire scene, watching from a third-person—as well as a first-person—perspective.

By the time the memory finally stopped, Justin had already warped them to the final resting spot of the destroyed Power Chamber.  With tears streaming down his face and bile rising in his throat, he hoarsely screamed, "This is why I want to hate you!  This is the burden I've—our entire group's—carried!  I'd only been a Ranger for a year, the others, even less!  We weren't ready to handle a full-scale invasion by ourselves!  We knew nothing necessary!  And we fought so hard, so very hard, and in the end everything just collapsed!"

Justin turned away from all eyes, instead looking at the desolate landscape, where winds had begun to wear away the remaining scraps. "I want to hate you so badly Dimitria, for leaving us like that, for leaving us to have everything fall.  And even still—the others fight for Zordon, as I fight for the Earth.  But that...  I'm not sure I'll ever forgive you for it."

Being here overwhelmed him, all the pain, all the emotion.  He ran toward one of the boulders and hid behind it, loudly retching after reliving the worst day of his life.  With tears streaming down his face, he continued to empty his stomach of all its contents amidst the utter silence.  It was only when he stopped, his mouth tasting vile and a feeling of sickness prevailing in his body, that Fred found the ability to walk to Justin and hold him, with tears streaming down both their faces, in his embrace.

"I hadn't known..." he murmured softly. "I hadn't known just how bad it was."

"If Dark Specter's messenger hadn't interfered," Justin said quietly, "I don't think even our predecessors would have been able to stop Divatox from leaving the Earth in ruins."

When Justin slowly made his way back, he noticed that no one had been left unaffected.  He focused on Dimitria instead, on the signs of pure pain in her face, with no trace of her serene omniscience.

"I'm so sorry, Justin." Her own voice was choked by her tears. "I had thought...  I hadn't realized that Divatox would be able to destroy the Power Chamber." She made to brush away the tears, but still they came. "With the protections Zordon placed initially as well as in the wake of the Green Dragon Ranger's attacks and further enhanced by the power of the Zeo Crystal, I had assumed that the Power Chamber was impregnable.  I was foolhardy—Eltar had been merely sacked for Zordon; they'd done nothing to the planet itself but pillage a few cities.  Five Ranger teams had swept in as soon as possible and taken care of any stragglers, though they'd been unable to go after Zordon themselves.  I joined the rebuilding effort and fell in with the Nitro Rangers," she nodded toward the Rangers behind her, "before deciding to return here.  Unfortunately, we were attacked en route by Divatox, and the fifth member was taken hostage.  As our energy source had been hit, I shunted most of the remaining power into the hyperrush drives and life support, choosing to enter suspended animation." She shook her head. "None of that is worth the pain I have caused you, however.  None of it.  I am so sorry for what I have done to you."

"I can't say I forgive you yet," Justin whispered in response, "but I can start to try."

"It is all I can ask for."

Justin shuddered and drew himself up. "Unfortunately, we can't offer you sanctuary here—at least, not at our base.  Dimitria—we're the Light Elementalist Rangers."

She sucked in a hard breath. "I thought I felt the auras of the Color Magics...  I can see why you cannot."

"Dimitria?" the Carlos look-alike asked. "What—"

"The Elementalist War Treaty states that neither side can let those uninvolved in the War enter the battlegrounds," the Grid Master explained. "Consequences are... dire."

"Don't worry," Justin shook his head, "I think that one of the Power Chamber's auxiliary bunkers still works.  It's large enough for you and..." here he lingered before recognition sparked in his eyes. "The cyborgs!"

"Robots," the false Ashley gently corrected. "I'm Tracy Hammond, Yellow Nitro Ranger."

"Patricia Chan, Pink Nitro Ranger," the robot Cassie said.

"Roger Vallerte, Green Nitro Ranger," the Carlos look-alike gave a disarming smile as he spoke.

"And I'm Selwyn Johnson, Red Nitro Ranger," finished the faux-TJ.

"Cyborgs," Justin insisted. "When we designed you guys, your initial schematics were of robots, but Eltar used DNA and tissue growth to ensure that you would be human with cybernetic upgrades rather than mere robots.  C'mon, you had to have wondered at your equipment," he added heavily innuendo to the last word and was sadistically amused at the blushes which sprung up on the cyborgs' faces.

"You're a perv!" Fred exclaimed, cuffing him on the shoulder. "I can't believe—"

"They deserve to be as real as they can," Justin murmured softly, "and we didn't want to do anything to compromise that." Fred quieted at his admission. "Anyway," he said loudly, "I'll show you to the bunkers."

They moved as one mass, the others returning to standby mode as Justin put as much distance between him and the newcomers as he could.  Keying in the access code to the bunker, which was hidden not too far from the Power Chamber's ruins with its entrance camouflaged among the numerous desert cliffs, he smiled when the door still slid open. "It's designed for emergencies, but it can easily house a team of Rangers." He looked up, his eyes casting a serious gaze. "The rest...  They don't come back too often, but they come back often enough not to be suspicious—and have ongoing interactions, so it's a good idea if you're not seen around town.  Your best bet's to lay low here, all right?  We'll be back after the next attack; you look like you need several days' rest anyway." He paused before leaving. "Where's the Justin cyborg?"

"Blake Stewart's with Divatox," Patricia rasped out, her voice choked with tears.

"We will get him back, do not worry," Justin stated coolly as he turned and left.

The bunker's doors closed behind him, and Justin took in a deep shuddering breath.  He immediately felt his teammates surround him, and he accepted their hugs offering comfort.  The rage and pain of the Power Chamber's faded into another familiar feeling, a deep ache at the sight of the visages of teammates he hadn't seen in months.  But he had to hide it, hide it beneath the pain everyone knew, because he didn't want to falter.

"I'm sorry," Justin whispered with tears beginning anew—tears he dare not let fall. "I didn't mean to do that."

"We totally understand," Nico smiled.

"Let's check in with Kamion and get some sleep.  Angleman's still after your blood, y'know?" Kayla tossed the jab about their math teacher at Justin, who only grinned sheepishly in response.  Radi Angleman was their unyielding math teacher best known for the multiple rings she wore on one hand, all of which were adorned with some manner of blue gemstone.  There were whispers of how each one of those rings had been a husband, which had been quickly silenced.

"At least I don't have Gakuro on my case!" Justin sniped back as he buried his pain deeper.

"Hey!" Kayla snapped. "It's not my fault!"

"Gakuro's the most laidback of all the art staff in the school, Kayla!  How'd you get him pissed off?" Fred asked.

Kayla blushed and mumbled something, which caused Sylvia to laugh. "You insulted his scarf?  The violet scarf he never takes off?"

"I didn't realize—"

The six of them vanished into teleport streams, bickering all the while.

**OoOoO**

The four wings of the Human Elementalist Megazord flared in silver and orange—the two wings from the Orange Phoenician Zord spewed fire and the two wings from the Silver Avian Zord shined with light.  As the initial burst of flames stunned the latest spirit, a tornado trapped it in a vortex of swirling wind.  Dropping to the ground and spinning with its right leg encased in rocks, courtesy of the Brown Mammalian Zord which served as the legs, the spirit fell to the ground, broken from its previous trap.  Before it could even begin to recover, the Megazord drew back the left fist which consisted of the Aqua Mermian Zord, and a fierce uppercut summoned a tidal wave of water, drenching it in liquid as it flew into the air.  While the enemy remained in mid-air, the Indigo Ursian Zord's mouth, located on the chest, opened up and unleashed a beam of frozen energy, encasing the enemy in a tomb of ice.  The moment the block hit the ground, the Human Elementalist Megazord gave a lightning-infused punch with its Gold Leoian Zord right arm, shattering it into minute shards.

"Finality," three voices whispered as one.

Turning, the Megazord watched as the Beast Elementalist Megazord roared once, waves of energy spewing out of its four fists.  Fire, wind, water, and electricity shot out from the Orange Phoenix, Silver Eagle, Aqua Dolphin, and Gold Lion Zord arms respectively, spinning and trapping the other spirit in a blaze of elements.  As the energy contracted, the Indigo Bear Zord serving as the chest launched crystal shards of ice, which encased the spirit in its own icy tomb.  With legs formed from the Brown Antelope Zord, earth energy smashed the last enemy into pieces using a well-placed axe kick.

"Finality," was again whispered by three voices.

The Megazords began to disappear in shards of energy, leaving six unmorphed Rangers behind.

Justin gave a shiver.  He could never quite get used to controlling the Beast Elementalist Megazord, where he, Nico, and Fred joined consciousnesses to pilot the powerful magical Megazord.  It always felt like his barriers were falling before others and letting them see all that he was.  Even nowadays, after his breakdown, he wasn't comfortable letting everyone see who he was beneath all the layers.

After shaking out of his stupor, Justin hurriedly invoked the relevant Precepts of the Elementalist Treaty before turning to his team. "Do you still have enough energy to stand for a rescue attempt?"

Lightning sparkled around Fred's hand in response.  It quickly morphed into wisps of raw chakra, swirling around his body and blowing at his cap. "Of course."

Nico's aqua and brown eyes bled slightly with white, water spiraling at his fingertips and surrounding him with his power. "Still got a bunch."

Kayla gave him a cocky smile, long hair whipping up in a breeze summoned by her will, and winds tugging at her loose clothing. "Yep!"

The earth rumbled beneath his feet, jagged rocks jutting up at random intervals, as Sylvia's hair briefly flashed blonde. "I want to help."

"I definitely have some!" Alyssa grinned as ice and fire danced a twinkling show around her hands, almost close enough to touch the darkened skin.

Justin smiled softly as flames spun in the air around him, qi adding a slight afterimage to his body. "Good.  We're warping, all right?  You know where it is."

There was no rush of orange this time, only a faint sensation of magic and what had once been a jarring shock as the scene before him abruptly transformed to another.  Before he could even touch the access panel, Dimitria opened it, with the four Nitro Rangers following behind her and looking much better than a few days prior.

"I felt the warp," explained Dimitria at their questioning looks.

"Sorry," Justin replied with a blush at the magical faux pas. "We just came back from a battle, and we weren't thinking to mask our entrance."

"It's all right.  Do you have enough energy for this, however?" the Grid Master asked in a concerned tone.

"They're still reeling from our last battle," Kayla grinned darkly. "Only two spirits and no generals." Dimitria did not miss the implications of her words.

Neither did the Nitro Rangers.  The shock on their faces was quickly schooled, though Justin admitted it was nice to see it there.

"Have repairs been made to your ship?" Justin nodded toward it. "We don't have much for space travel."

Dimitria regretfully shook her head. "Unfortunately, we did not.  While we attempted, too many things were damaged in the attack."

Justin exhaled noisily. "Damn it, not what we needed."

Alyssa laid a hand on his shoulder. "Do you think that—"

"We have to," Justin replied shortly.

"The consequences—" Sylvia hesitantly spoke up.

"—can be damned," finished Kayla, speaking how they really felt. "We never leave a Ranger in need."

"We'll be taking the Beast Zords; they're better for long-distance travel.  Agreed?" questioned Justin, looking over the other Rangers.  Each gave their assent as he turned toward Dimitria and the Nitro Rangers. "You must understand that this is a huge risk we're taking, all right?"

"We understand," Dimitria said softly.

Justin nodded sharply, and the six Light Elementalist Rangers morphed.  As one, their voices rang out.

"We call upon the ancient forces to aid us in our battle!"

"From the element of Burning Fire, Orange Phoenix Zord!"

"From the element of Flowing Water, Aqua Dolphin Zord!"

"From the element of Blowing Air, Silver Eagle Zord!"

"From the element of Dancing Lightning, Gold Lion Zord!"

"From the element of Shifting Earth, Brown Antelope Zord!"

"From the element of Freezing Ice, Indigo Bear Zord!"

Justin silently took Dimitria in with him during the spell.  The world shifted around him as the six Beast Zords appeared in the area.

 **"This is why it is such a huge risk,"** spoke Justin to Dimitria with his mind. **"We meld our bodies with our Zords to activate them.  You're currently in a control orb right now, which we used at one point before its control became too weak.  But...  At this point, you have access to my thoughts and powers, and we don't trust lightly."**

"I understand." Composing herself, the White Sorceress of Inquiris began to read the coordinates of Divatox's base as the six Beast Zords left the atmosphere.

 **"That's pretty far,"** Justin murmured.  He then shifted his voice so that it would stretch out to his comrades. **"We'll warp at two minute, Hyperrush Seven distances in the correct direction until we hit just outside the range of the defense web!  At that point, we warp to the surface, find Blake, and then get the hell outta there!  Only a rescue mission, do you hear me?"**

 **"Damn, it's that far?"** cried Nico incredulously. **"You know the fastest we've gone is Hyperrush Eight at two minutes, and that was only so we could get to Onyx to grab the Beast Crystals before they could be auctioned off!"**

 **"And Kamion would have killed us if he could've when he found out we went to that hellhole!"** Alyssa's voice laughed through their minds.

Kayla's smirk was audible, though her Zord showed no expression. **"I told you Justin and I could pull it off."**

 **"Did you two ever!  You both were smokin' hot in there!"** Fred called, an obvious leer in his voice. **"How did you guys hold down so much alcohol?"**

 **"High metabolism,"** drawled Sylvia softly, **"mixed in with increased pheromone secretion tends to make your body use up its resources faster—even alcohol."**

There was a moment of stunned silence.

 **"Holy—did you just joke?"** gaped Alyssa.

 **"Of course!"** the Brown Earth Ranger replied in an amused tone. **"At least, on the pheromone part.  High metabolism really does make it harder to get drunk!  Right, Justin?"**

 **"Huh?"** he replied, startled at the sudden inclusion. **"Um, yes?"** he randomly answered before focusing on their destination.

 **"You've been holding out on me!"** Fred exclaimed, mock-hurt in his voice. **"You do drink—"**

 **"We're there,"** Justin cut in smoothly, silencing his team.

 **"That was quicker than I thought it'd be,"** whispered Nico.

 **"Dimitria?"** he asked internally. **"Where do you want us to land?"**

"I've never been to this planet," the Grid Master admitted.

Justin did a surface scan with the prowess of his Zord and his magic.  Diving through the nooks and crannies of the place, dodging Divatox's presence, he instantly halted when a familiar presence he had long since thought lost washed over him like dawn.  It was one that he had missed, though he had not had time to mourn its lost.  He had thought that the other had been free, but now he knew he was wrong.  And anger blazed inside his veins, for he could feel the suffering as if it were his own.

 **"STORM BLASTER!"** his mental voice roared, and without another word, he warped down to the planet's surface.

He appeared in a blaze of fire, phoenix flames stretching out without bounds as they ensnared the few monsters Zord-size in the vicinity.  He squeezed them with tendrils of flame and didn't stop to see them explode.  Flapping his large wings, Justin let the Phoenix Zord herd the myriad of Piranhatrons together, giving him room to unmeld himself from his Zord and set Dimitria on the ground.

His sword was already drawn as he blazed a trail through the grunts.  He cast spell after spell, taking out the largest concentrations as he moved toward his goal.  At some point, he realized he was joined by nine other Rangers, and he fought back to back with the Red Nitro Ranger.  Their swords carved paths toward their joint destination.

Justin lost himself in the battle.  He lost himself in the raging warfare, because if he didn't, his anger would consume him.  He wanted—needed—to get to Storm Blaster.  The sentient car which had been his partner in his Turbo days was desperately tired from the abuse it'd—he'd?—suffered at the hands of Divatox.  He felt so tired and weak that Justin wanted to comfort him and if only the monsters and grunts would just get out of his way!

"O primordial flames, come forth to burn away the sins of those who must be judged," he hissed darkly, orange strands of magic billowing around his Ranger form. "Ancient Nova!"

Fueled by righteous anger, the air around the largest enemy concentration warped.  Pulling with his magic, flames so hot that the orange nearly faded into white spewed forth in a large explosion of scorching heat.  Howling his rage into the sky, Justin expanded the spell's normally somewhat small range to cover the entire battlefield, never mind that he'd gone through a battle not an hour before.  He'd lost too much already—he would not let another slip from his grasp.

With the aftermath of the advanced spell came an intense silence.  No one dared to move or speak as they surveyed the utter devastation around them.  Only Justin broke the silence as he ran forward to one of the few things untouched amidst the carnage.

"Storm Blaster," he sobbed, tears audible in his voice. "I missed you so much!"

The sentient car gave a few quiet beeps as a faint presence tickled the back of his mind.  Justin managed to muster a smile for the car, even though he was morphed.  Lightning Cruiser came around as well, flashing his lights in a way that Justin understood. "I'm sure TJ misses you as well."

It was then that the remaining Rangers and Dimitria came up to him, though the Nitro Rangers seemed to be more in awe of the Orange Ranger than anything else.

"That was amazing," whispered Patricia.

"I've never seen anyone take care of a battlefield that quick," Tracy agreed.

"I've heard of battle spells that powerful..." Selwyn began, his voice trailing.

"...but it normally takes at least a minute to cast them," finished Roger, his tone dropping at the fact that Justin had finished such a chant in mere seconds.

Dimitria laid a hand on Justin's shoulder.  The Grid Master's hands were glowing a rainbow of colors from her efforts to aid in the battle—she was a damn scary sorceress, he could readily admit and be in awe of (she'd rightfully earned her title as White Sorceress, not only from her legendary wisdom but also for her prowess which was said to almost rival Zordon's)—but she toned down the magic as she quietly spoke. "We need to find Blake and get out of here."

Quickly, Justin asked Storm Blaster if he'd found anyone that looked like him but wasn't.  The two cars communicated with each other using a series of beeps and flashes before Lightning Cruiser's door opened.  Justin cursed as he reached inside to grab his doppelganger, near-fatal wounds apparent on his body.

"Out of the way!" Nico called, shoving past the other Rangers to kneel at the cyborg's side.  His hands were already glowing white with magic, but the glow seemed to weaken as it reached Blake. "Dammit, there's too much machinery in there—I can't fully heal him."

"We need to do something," Selwyn growled. "We need someone to fix him."

"He's not going to last the trip," Justin snapped back, not wanting an argument. "Nico, what can we do?"

Their healer mumbled to himself for a few moments, his eyes flicking back and forth.  Suddenly he held out his hands and called, "Water Shooter." The magical blaster appeared in his hand—little used, as their magic made up most of their ranged attacks.  He inspected it closely before demanded, "Give me your Shooters.  Don't ask."

The weapons were gladly handed over, and Nico's fingers danced along the six blasters in front of him.  Seeming to come to a conclusion, a white aura surrounded both his hands and the weapons.  Nico wasted no time in _plunging_ the six Shooters directly into Blake's body.  Justin's heart constricted at the pained scream which echoed forth so like his own, but he used his far superior strength to hold down his cyborg counterpart, hoping to the Power that whatever Nico was doing would be done quickly.  The body continued to twist and buckle, but Justin refused to yield, knowing that Nico needed to focus completely on his task.

When Nico stumbled back, the healing he had done so intense that his body remained wreathed in an aura of white which echoed his every movement, Alyssa was there to quickly lay him on the ground gently before he completely collapsed.  It was a testament to Nico's fatigue when his body continually flickered between his Ranger and civilian forms, as though he was unable to maintain his morph.  But he was still stable—he hadn't reached past the seals on his magic that prevented him from drawing too deeply, much like Jace had done and which had led to his death—seals that Justin had pushed as soon as their magic was advanced enough.

"Wuh?" mumbled a voice so similar to his own that Justin was forced into a double-take.  Clear brown eyes opened and stared up at him. "Who're you?" asked Blake, his voice rough with pain and disuse.

Justin didn't answer, only moving aside to let the other Nitro Rangers aid their fallen comrade.  He faded back with the other Light Elementalist Rangers, Storm Blaster drifting along with him.

"Dimitria," Justin whispered quietly, "do you think you can take care of Storm Blaster and Lightning Cruiser?"

The Grid Master looked at him with soft eyes as Storm Blaster honked weakly. "You cannot—"

"They're considered allies of the Good," he answered in the same, somewhat defeated tone. "The Elementalist Treaty forbids it."

Dimitria stared at him hard before placing a hand on his shoulder. "I understand," she said, her words implying much more than the current situation.

Trailing his fingers across Storm Blaster's exterior, Justin felt his eyes misting. "Hey, buddy.  I'm sorry you can't stay with me, but Dimitria and the Nitro Rangers will take care of you." Placing his forehead against Storm Blaster's hood, he let a few unseen tears loose. "I'll miss you."

Storm Blaster replied with a series of honks and beeps, and Justin understood.

He stepped back with the Light Elementalist Rangers, turning toward their Zords.  As he passed Dimitria, he whispered quietly, "If I don't make it back, keep them safe until TJ finishes his mission, all right?"

There was only one thing Dimitria could say to that, though the implications caused her chest to tighten painfully. "I will.  May the Power protect you."

Justin offered her a soft smile in body language before the Light Elementalist Rangers made the trek back to their Zords, Nico carefully held by Alyssa.  Alyssa dismissed the Dolphin Zord, planning on placing the Ranger in the Bear Zord's control orb and then proceeding with the warping.  Storm Blaster and Lightning Cruiser would take Dimitria and the Nitro Rangers back to the Power Chamber's remains before taking them to Aquitar.

Before they could board their Zords, a voice called out to them.

"Justin?"

Slowly, the Orange Ranger turned to see Blake Stewart, his cyborg doppelganger, run up to him.  Justin's throat clogged briefly—they'd been mirrors at one point, but now Justin had more muscle than Blake, and his eyes were forever marked by his devotion to the magics.

"Hey there," he greeted after a demorph, noting their similar heights. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"It has," the other smiled easily, and Justin's throat began to close when he remembered that that carefree, honest smile was something he hadn't been able to muster in months.  Holding back his tears, he offered his own, weak smile.

"I have to leave now.  We've got our own mission.  Take care of Storm Blaster for me?"

"I will," Blake answered, his voice deepening with the solemn nature of the promise. "When everything's finished, wanna hang out?  Blade and stuff?"

Justin's heart began to hurt once more at the reminder of days when he wasn't either completely focused on his studies or training.  While the group still continued to have fun, much of their spare time was spent exercising or learning new spells.  Justin himself was attempting to speed up his studies so that he'd be able to finish school as quickly as possible and have the more flexible college schedule.

Looking at the reflection of himself, of the core of innocence he'd sacrificed to the Power, of the person who he could have been had he not chosen to accept the Orange Fire Power, Justin felt a sort of regret and... longing?

Turning away from Blake, he murmured a faint, "Yeah."  Steeling himself, he tossed a look over his shoulder, saying, "I'll be seeing you later, then."

The replying grin was almost perky, and Justin's eyes misted again.

As the five Beast Zords warped away at the same speed at which they came, Fred's mind attempted to touch his, but Justin refused the contact.  The moment they were back on Earth, however, he let out a shuddering breath and dispelled his Zord.  Tears pricked his eyes as they teleported to the Control Base to have Nico treated for energy exhaustion—the white aura still clung to him, though it was only half as bright as it once was.  With Alyssa and Nico off to the medlab, and Sylvia and Kayla both gone, Justin attempted to lock himself in his room until he felt safe enough to go home, but Fred's arm across the exit to the rooms stopped him.

"Justin," Fred breathed deeply, seeming to restrain himself from an action he would regret, "what's wrong?"

"There's nothing wrong," Justin forced himself to reply, because his tears weren't meant to be shared.  All he needed to do was sit in his room for a few minutes by himself, and he'd be fine.  He'd burdened Fred with enough troubles anyway.

"I can't help you if you don't let me," Fred whispered quietly, his voice suddenly pleading. "What makes you cry so much?  What makes the tears appear in your eyes?  What hurts you so badly that all you can do is bite your lip in pain, not speaking, not healing?"

"It's nothing," he replied again, and he ignored the string of tears in his eyes.  There was a familiar tightening in his chest, but he refused to give into the feeling.  Though his knees felt weak and his lips trembled, Justin continued, "There's nothing wrong.  Just leave it, Fred."

"Justin, do you know how much it hurts to see you like this?  Do you know how much it pains me whenever I see a tear fall out of your eye?  Do you know who much I'm affected whenever you have to look away because you can't bear to see something?" Fred's hands came to rest on Justin's shoulders, and Justin's brown and orange were forced to stare into Fred's vivid brown and gold.  There were tears in those clear eyes, though Fred reined them in. "Please, let me help.  I want to help you, Justin, because I love you so much, and I don't...  I don't want you to feel this crippling pain.  I want to make the hurt go away, because I want to see you smiling again, because I want you to be _happy_." The tears began to fall from Fred's eyes. "I know we've gone through so much, but...  Please, let me in.  I—I can't bear to see you suffer."

No matter how much Justin wanted to—his throat constricted as the tears rose again and his chest began to hurt and it took all of his strength to just not let anything show.  When the anger bled away, when the rage dissipated, all he was left with was the void again, and he'd never felt it more acutely than now.

So, no matter how much the love in his heart screamed at him, all he did was duck down and whisper, "I'm sorry, Fred, but I _can't_ ," before warping into his bedroom and locking the door.

And, this time, he let the tears flow as he slid down the door, ignoring the pounding and the yelling outside when Fred hit the barriers around his room and was thrown into the hallway, as he buried his face into his knees and attempted to hold back his sobs.

**OoOoO**

Justin wouldn't look Fred in the eye the next day, or the days that followed.

He didn't dare to, for fear of seeing the disappointment in them.

He avoided Fred at school, didn't hang out with him afterward, locked himself at home and made sure to activate his strongest barriers whenever he did so.  Looking into Blake and seeing his lightened reflection, he couldn't help but feel all the thoughts he'd been having lately come to light.  It had hurt so badly to see Blake's true happiness, to see the souls which the cyborgs had pulled in for themselves, to see the bright emotions which were rooted so deeply in those souls—things Blake shined with so brightly that he couldn't have masked them even if he wanted to.  And, as he viewed that, everything—just everything—crashed into him.

He wanted to be that happy boy, who bounced and laughed and lived.  He wanted to be the one who could smile brightly at the world, who could still live with an air of innocence even as a Ranger, who didn't have to push the overwhelming darkness in his heart back just to have a free moment.

But he couldn't; not after all that he lived though, all the lives he'd taken, all the hate and rage he'd embraced just to survive the day.

It made him feel... tainted.

He finally found the word.

It made him feel completely tainted, because there were things he refused to tell him team; though he'd asked bad things of them, he'd inflicted the worst on himself.  Working as an Elementalist Ranger stripped away much of his team's innocence; the things they'd done would horrify any Rangers on Earth and possibly on many planets.  Some of the things he'd had to do to himself...

Bile rose in his throat, and he scampered off toward the bathroom.  Retching until he was only dry-heaving, and even then they came faster and faster, only when his stomach protested the treatment and nearly collapsed in on itself.  His throat burning with pain, he sunk to the cool tiles beneath him with tears leaking from his eyes.

He felt so... weak.  So dirty.

The Rangers of Good were meant to be upstanding warriors, to protect their planet and the lives of all those who simply want to live in peace—those innocent and/or neutral.  But the Elementalist War pushed its Rangers to the limit.  The creation of homunculi, the gut-wrenching actions of mere children—it was something which should never be repeated.

The scars left on his mind reminded him of that fact with every step.

But now...  Now, all he could do was curl up on the base of the toilet, letting the tears flow once more.

This was where his father stumbled across him, drawn by the noise echoing through the house.

"Justin?" Doug Stewart whispered, horrified.  He immediately knelt and scooped his son—who looked far smaller than he'd had ever since Doug had come back—into a hug. "Justin?  What's wrong?"

Justin didn't reply; he only reacted to the warmth surrounding him by burying his face into his father's shoulder and sobbing even harder.

"Can you please tell me what's wrong?" Doug asked again, with pinpricks touching his eyes.

"Don't ask me.  Please don't ask me.  Just hold me." The voice which replied was so wretched that it was all Doug could do to not break down with him.  He hugged his sobbing boy until he had cried himself to sleep.  Lifting his body, a body which was stronger than Doug could have guess, he placed him in his bed.  Doug spied the battered journals, and his first instinct was to open them, for he knew they held the secrets to Justin's pain.

He stilled his hand before he could reach out, however.  To do so would to betray the trust Justin had set in him.  Years ago, he'd once betrayed that very trust and shattered their familial bond when he left after Alicia's death, moving from Angel Grove to several cities before abandoning Justin to Little Angel's Haven.  It'd taken him a long time to gather himself together, and the first thing he'd realized was that it was a horrible mistake to leave Justin behind.  When he'd gotten back, however, his boy had changed.  He wasn't a complete innocent anymore; his eyes always held a tiny bit of shadows whenever he wasn't looking.

Then came the event which had prompted the move to Boston—when he returned home and found Justin passed out on his bed, obviously battered and with burnt and torn clothes hidden away in the closet.  His son had point blank refused to comment, withdrawing into barriers he could not pass, and it had taken two of his friends—Nico and Kayla, bless their devotion, loyalty, and tenacity—to finally draw him out of his shell.

The move hadn't been as random as he'd made it seem.

He thought Justin could have a fresh start in Boston.  And, initially, it'd seemed that way.  He'd actually gotten Justin to leave the house while the sun was up; that was a miracle in itself.  Then he'd met Fred, and he seemed to slowly come out of his shell.  And when Jace came into play, Justin finally started to become warm again.

Then Jace disappeared, and it seemed as if Justin had shattered again, only this time into much finer pieces, with even less of a guarantee of repair.

He'd watched his boy become darker and more distant as time passed; it hurt to see how large the rift had grown between them.

But when Justin had pleaded to be held as he shook in the dim light of the bathroom, none of it seemed to matter.  Only that his son needed his help—and he didn't know how.

But he knew someone who did.

He walked swiftly toward the phone, dialing a number he had come to be very familiar with since the move.

"Hello?" came the rough voice. "Who is it?"

"George?" Doug asked quietly, his voice pained.

"Doug?  Is something wrong?"

Doug closed his eyes and exhaled softly.  George Kelman had been his confidant ever since he and Justin had moved to Boston and they'd been introduced by their sons.  Both had lived in Angel Grove—though George had been there much longer—so both knew the horrors of Power Ranger attacks.  Moreover, both were single fathers attempting to care for their sons as best they could without a female presence.  When Justin began to withdraw, it was with George that Doug had spoken his fears and concerns.  Whenever he felt like he wasn't feeling up the job of being a father, George was always there to either support him or cuff him upside the head to remind him that it was all for his son.  George had been his support throughout his attempts at being a father—and Doug could never, ever thank him enough for all of that.  But right now, George wasn't the one he needed.

"I need...  I need to talk with Fred."

"...he's been holed up in his room for the past couple of days.  He won't open the door, no matter how much I shout," admitted George in a gruff tone. "I don't know what's up with him.  He won't talk to me, won't eat dinner unless I force him, and won't do anything but sulk.  I assume that it had something to do with Justin."

"Justin's the same," Doug answered. "Except I found him heaving into the toilet, trembling and crying." He didn't miss the sharp intake of breath from the other side of the line. "He won't speak to me either.  I think...  Fred needs to be here."

"I'll get him over there even if I need to drag him," George hissed.

"Thank you," he whispered into the receiver faintly.  He listened as George stalked through his house, hammering on Fred's door and yelling at him that Justin needed him.  They exchanged hot words before the door opened, and Fred's voice came on.

"Mr. Stewart?" Fred asked tentatively. "What's wrong with Justin?"

"He was violently sick in the bathroom, and he won't tell me what's wrong.  I'm hoping you can help me."

There was a pause before Fred spoke in a tone of steel so hard he should've been surprised—except he wasn't. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

Doug placed the phone back onto its hook, letting up a breath he hadn't known he was holding in.  Staring at the open doorway of Justin's room, his breath hitched slightly as he realized that, maybe, just maybe, he had been failing as a father, if Justin's state of being was any indicator.

"Alicia," he whispered sadly into the air, "I'm so sorry I let Justin turn out like this."

He would have said more, but the ringing of the doorbell startled him.  He glanced through the peephole when he reached the front door, and he was surprised to see Fred already there.  After opening the door, there was a gold blur as Fred raced up the stairs.  Following at a more sedate pace, Doug peeked into Justin's room.

Fred had Justin in his arms, one hand supporting his frame and the other rubbing soothing patterns on his back.  Fred's lips were moving, murmuring things too low for him to hear, and Doug respectfully averted his eyes when Fred leaned in to kiss his son's forehead.

He had to admit, it was a relationship which threw him for a loop.  He'd known the boys were close—it was obvious from the way Fred had been able to take Justin out of his shell.  But when it came down to it, when the other boy who used to spend so much time here, who had eyes so cold that Doug could feel his spine stiffening at a mere gaze, and who seemed to soften in the presence of Justin and Fred, disappeared, they'd comforted each other in a way that neither of their fathers could.

Seeing that, Doug stepped back and let Fred into their lives.  And Fred and Justin fell so hard and so strong for each other in spite of their youth...  Doug's heart leapt in his throat because, despite the fact that they were mere children, he'd seen the sparks of love which could very well last their entire life.  He couldn't find it in him to break the two apart, not after the loss of his own wife... his own soulmate.

And Fred was the only one who could help Justin now.

As he moved toward his own room, he fervently prayed, "Please let them be all right."

**OoOoO**

Fred was lost.

When he'd first heard the words fall from Justin's father's mouth, he had two instinctive reactions—the first was the petty feeling that Justin could very well stew in his emotions if he wouldn't let Fred close.  It was quickly smothered by the second, which was an intense fear for his boyfriend.  Coolly replying to Doug, he slammed the receiver down and was about to race out of the door when he met his father.

"You're going to Justin." It wasn't a statement.

"I've fucked up enough," Fred admitted tersely.

Suddenly, his father's eyes softened, and there was raw pain in the orbs so much like his own. "Don't you dare run away him.  Hold him as tight as I held Karen, as Doug held Alicia.  You never know when he'll be gone."

Fred realized the irony in the advice imparted in him—his father was referring to the mundane, when it was a reality they faced daily as Rangers.  But, it was with his knowledge that he replied quietly, "I'll hold him as tight as I can without breaking his wings."

Gruffly, the man returned to the television, only muttering, "Good," as he began to wallow in memories.

Fred only paused briefly to survey his father, his heart twisting, before he dashed out of the door.  Grasping his magic center, he decided that the time it would take to run over to Justin's place was too long, and so he warped directly to the front door, impatiently ringing the doorbell.  The moment Doug Stewart admitted him, he rushed past the man and into Justin's room.

His heart froze at the sight.

Justin looked—younger than he'd ever seen him.  There'd always been shadows in Justin's eyes from his mother's death and his father's abandonment; even if his happy side sometimes drowned them out, they always existed and made him older than he actually was.  They'd only hardened when Justin started as the Blue Turbo Ranger, though he hadn't seen the end culmination, as he'd moved away.

Now...  Seeing the shivering, convulsing, broken down _boy_ in front of him, it was all he could do to not cry himself.

He swept Justin into a huge hug before he began to soothe the teen.  He rubbed circles on his back, kissing him on the forehead as he murmured platitudes.  His heart broke all over again when Justin continued to cry, didn't stop crying, and wouldn't answer the questions he asked.  And, dammit, he could feel the pain, though he was no empath (only Jace and the deceased Lina could claim that title; Nico had sacrificed his own as a price for a spell, while Jace's hadn't transferred as his was entwined with his spirit).  His heart beat wildly, and he could _feel_ the pain Justin continued to emanate.

"Please, please, just tell me what's wrong," Fred whispered as he hugged Justin's face close to his chest.

And, though the tears, Justin finally began to explain.  He told him about his own darkening feelings, about all of his troubles and his fears.  He hinted toward the assassination missions they'd run, more and more as the war drew on; whenever a strong magic user for the Evil side had come or a similarly strong spirit—while the side of Good had little favors to call upon and whatever they'd accrued was used not long after, the side of Evil spent many, many favors in an effort to eliminate them—they hadn't wanted to risk all-out battle.  So, more often than not, they'd infiltrated wherever they were staying, whether it was a hotel or a cave as they never stayed in their opponents' base, and performed quick kills.  Whether with it was an iron weapon to pierce enchantments or the equivalent of a mystical bomb (another invention) for an out and out kill, it always left a distasteful feeling in the skin of whoever took the mission.  They buried their reaction toward such dark subterfuge inside their knowledge of what needed to be done.  Fred understood that, knew that Justin had been the first to execute one such mission in a way that any ninja would be proud, knew he came back from it with mental and emotional scarring and a blood-stained iron dagger in his grip.

But then he talked about one mission, concerning a woman from Gamma Vile who had been a contemporary to Rita Repulsa in her heyday.  Called the Gamma Vile's Fallen Serpentress, she was the Grid Master who fielded the team which had reduced Phaedos down to their Green Ranger (the Green Ranger had survived by fusing herself with her team's holy grounds and becoming the Grid Master for the Ninjetti Powers), a sorceress of high caliber, and a master of both the poisons and the serpents from which she obtained them.  Their first and only battle with her had ended in failure; they'd managed to fend her off with a combination of trickery and raw power, but she was too powerful, even for some of their more desperate techniques.

Fred had assumed when they weren't contacted for a rematch that one of his fellow Rangers had killed her in an assassination mission.

He wasn't wrong.

But, he was now learning that she had a... predisposition for young boys.

And, when Justin described exactly how he'd gotten close enough to her to kill her, Fred felt pain stir in his chest.

Because Justin had given up his last innocence for the sake of Good.  He'd killed, murdered, assassinated—everything short of actual torture...  And the last bastion of innocence, something no one their age should _ever_ be forced to give up, had been freely given in order to protect them.

He hugged Justin all the tighter to him, whispering as many comforts as he could.

"Can you...  Can you ever forgive me?" Justin asked quietly, once his tears began to abate.

"For doing what you could to protect us?  There's nothing to forgive." And Fred meant that. "But...  You should tell the others."

Justin froze, his eyes widening.

"They deserve to know."

It wasn't a statement.

"I know," said Justin softly. "Now?"

"Only if you want."

"...call them for me."

Fred tapped his communicator as Justin took a deep shuddering breath.

He knew it'd be hard for Justin, but it was something which needed to be done.

And the Light Elementalist Rangers would be all the stronger for this.


	7. Power of the White Shine

_Dear Journal,_

_I finally explained to everyone.  I told them what has happened, everything—from assassination missions to those missions.  I think they took it well, considering just how bad they were.  I think they looked a little pissed off that I hadn't told them earlier, but, well, I was really freaking scared._

_It just hurt so much seeing Blake.  He looked so much like me, but he still had that spring in his step, that happiness which being a Light Elementalist Ranger has stripped away from me.  It felt...  It hurt so much._

_Dimitria knows now.  But she has Storm Blaster and Lightning Cruiser safe, so they'll be fine.  They'll all be fine.  Divatox is probably pissed, but I don't really care._

_I feel... disjointed.  Like something's pulling me one way and something else is pulling me another.  It feels odd and awkward all at once._

_Also, I have the urge to strengthen my wards now._

_-Justin_

 

Setting aside his journal, Justin did just that.  Folding his fingers together, he reached out with his magic and touched the tight wards around his home.  The first thing he did was shunt more power into the reserves.  He also checked on the barrier orbs (enchanted the same way as their silence orbs) and noted that their cooldown times were still carefully regulated.  Sighing in relief, he grabbed a few herbs hidden inside his drawer, things his dad believed attributed to Justin's experimentation in aromas, and threw them in the air, charging them with magic to enhance the sensing block.

It was only then that he relaxed.

He'd felt an itchiness in his skin for a while now.  He'd attributed it to nerves, but it hadn't gone away.  He asked the others, but only Fred had responded in the affirmative.

They'd tried whatever they could to figure out what was wrong with them.  It was an offhand comment that Fred felt like it was someone was looking for him that had Justin thinking.

Whenever they were around a nexus, the feeling usually wore off.  There were also certain magical blind spots—places the Rangers carefully noted—which also caused the jittery sensation to cease.

Justin took in all that information and came to one conclusion.

Someone was scrying for them.

He'd cast anti-scrying spells, and the sensation had faded.

Now, he was dead-set on attempting to figure out who was scrying for them—and why.  He'd already figured out they'd been through magical means, but the exact medium was something he had trouble figuring out.

Fred wasn't much help either.

He'd enlisted Alyssa and Nico, who were better at the more common magics, but they'd only been able to say that it was within Boston.  And then they'd tossed stronger wards onto them, Alyssa imbuing hers by the very power of nature for strength and camouflage and Nico boosting the body's natural resistance against magic.  They looked downright pissed when they did so, and the two had wisely kept out of the way of the Rangers of Spirit as they conducted their own search.

Originally, Justin had blamed the Shadow Elementalist Rangers for this particular brand of magic, but with the focus on just him and Fred, it became highly unlikely.

And, by virtue of the fact that they were Rangers, they didn't have any contact with whatever sort of magical communities existed on Earth.  All of their contacts were off-world.

Justin scowled as he felt an aching loneliness pop up.  He rubbed his eyes briefly, feeling the familiar pain well up—the Astros had been able to finally send another message, and the happiness he'd felt had almost been outweighed by yet another reminder of his past.

Shivering, he'd pushed his thoughts aside and set to work on his latest project.  It was the most daring they'd had, but it was also entirely necessary.

They were going for one of the major nexuses.

Not the school one; that one was off-limits.

But the one on the outskirts of Boston, the one which pretty much marked the boundary for the Elementalists' Treaty's limits.  That one, if what their sensors could tell, was drawing in intense amounts of energy.  The amount of energy, quite frankly, scared him.  When Fred had seen the energy readouts, he had sworn.  Justin had too.

They'd surpassed the energy required to summon the Meifuushin months ago.

It'd taken all of Jace's strength to take down even one Meifuushin, and the boy had been a veritable genius in Aqua Magic—able to cast Tidal Wave in the span of two months—as well as a more-than-competent ninja.

But this energy surpassed that, linking toward several of the minor nexuses as well.

The only way to prevent the ritual would be to make the nexus their own.

He thrummed his fingers.  Several of Fred's doppelgangers, using the Invisible Shadow Clone Technique learned from the Infiltration scrolls, had already take reconnaissance—the dispelling of such clones allowed their memories to meld with Fred's, which made it a very useful infiltration resource.  They'd pored over the maps, but the group generally left it up to him for the complete invasion strategy.

Biting his lip, he set to work.

Almost three full hours later, he'd hashed out the battle plan, something which would allow them to basically sneak in the nexus undetected and perform the necessary rites to purify the nexus of their enemies' taint.

He sighed and stretched, looking at the fading sunlight and coming to a decision.  He swept the battle plans into an enspelled drawer designed to hide its contents and grabbed his jacket—a nice, black one he'd picked up to hide the bright orange the Power basically commanded him to wear—and crept down the stairs.  Justin swung his keys around his fingers by the chain before slipping them into one of the numerous pockets on his cargo pants.  He scribbled a note and tacked it along with the other notes which cluttered the space above the key rack.

Breathing in the night air, he idly scratched his skin as he made his way around all of the nexuses under the Light Elementalist Ranger's control.

Actually, it was less that they were under their control and more that they were under _no one's_ control.

Another advantage that their enemies had over them was that they were willing to abuse the planet's magic in order to defeat them—all they cared about was winning the copious amounts power Earth had hidden.  As defenders of Good, Justin and his team tried to minimize their own use of the nexuses, conscious of the work that the opponents had put them through.  As a result, they didn't have the near limitless supply of magic to fall back on.  The only one they actively used was the one the Control Base was inside.

Sighing to himself, he stopped by what seemed like several random spots, tapping into his magic and testing the energies which swirled beneath his feet.

He met Alyssa at the last one, and the two stared at each other before nodding.

"Feeling a bit... edgy?" the Indigo Ranger asked quietly.

Justin rolled his shoulders back, straightening his slouch to return to the confidence he readily hid. "The scrying spell got a bit stronger, but I blocked it.  I was working on how to deal with the ritual.  Have it basically done."

"Good then." Looking up into the sky, the normally exuberant girl didn't speak any more, instead seeming to focus on the area around her. "I think...  I've almost got a lock, but I don't want to point any fingers until I've completed my research, all right?  Nico's resting up."

"I understand." Justin nodded.

He then held up his hand in a gesture which made Alyssa pause, and the Orange Ranger reached out with his psychic senses.  He touched another mind and retreated, just as a figure unattached itself from the shadows of a building.

"A psychic's doing sweeps," Kayla told them, gaze burning. "I think...  They're looking for something based on psychic echoes.  I've felt it before, during battle, but I think the Elementalists' Treaty stalled them.  They're stepping up the pace though."

"Another ninja's on patrol." Fred decloaked from right behind Justin, and all three present turned to him. "Chakra scans; I think they're looking for me.  Always seems to hone onto me in battle, and I could've sworn I felt 'em when I was exiting the major nexus—its magic acts as a chakra cloak, y'know—but I hid myself strong enough to avoid detection."

Justin licked his dry lips, deep in contemplation.  All of this—it worried him greatly, but it all had to be dealt with later. "I think...  We need to rest up for the nexus battle.  We can deal with this later; it's an Earth thing, right?" Brown eyes held the gazes of each of the Rangers present with their intensity. "We can't let this interfere with our Ranger duties."

"He's right," Alyssa said softly. "We should head home.  No one should detect us while in their walls, not with our wards."

The four Rangers looked at each other before they warped away.

A woman flashed down a few minutes later, her form armed with many weapons.  She looked around once before growling. "I could have sworn...  But the chakra trail ends here.  Damn it, was it a false lead?"

"I felt the presence for but a moment." A man walked up to her, blond hair shaking and blue eyes cold. "There _were_ people here, but they vanished.  Even with all my talents, they were but a faint echo."

"They warped," interrupted a man, his glasses hiding deep brown eyes. "I can't trace it, but they warped away.  They're strong, whoever they are.  I've sometimes—occasionally I find something, but I can't narrow it past the limits of the city."

The ninja's fists clenched and unclenched, her displeasure evident. "We need to find who took our children.  My son's **dead** and my other son's magical signal only appears every so often.  Your daughter's psychic echoes are the same.  We know one, two presences or so that were present, yet we haven't found a thing despite the year we spent.  Something's happening."

"They'll pay," the blond man said darkly.

"Because we **will** find them."

The three looked at each other before parting ways.

**OoOoO**

Justin was not nervous.

Staring at the entrance to the nexus, he could almost see the lines of power which made it a major nexus, where minor nexuses fed their power to the larger whole.

Kayla gave a grin in body-language from next to him. "Ready?"

"Let's do it."

Both leapt into the magical opening, feeling the rush of power around them.  It was far from the first time they'd entered a nexus, but it was an experience each time.

They landed softly on the ground of the ritual site, uncoiling and gathering their wits before staring at each other.  With mutual nods, they began to move.  The two Rangers of Mind slipped through the area, Justin's planning allowing them to head through the complex with minimal resistance.  What few sentries they came across were dispatched before they could sound any alarms.  Any means of magical or telepathic communications were hastily and ruthlessly denied as they cut through them so quick they dissolved while still standing.

Wrenching his blade out from the chest of a winged harpy, he dispassionately watched as it disappeared before turning to his partner. "The main room's up ahead.  We need to destroy it and use the ritual." As it was a major nexus, their enemies' taint had sunk deep enough into it that a cleansing ritual was required; minor nexuses were able to purify themselves without such help.

Unfortunately, their entrance to the room led to one huge problem.

"O placid winds, swirl before me with the might of those enraged!  Cyclone!" In an instant, the advanced Silver spell surrounded them in a giant spiral of wind, dispelling the encroaching fog with sheer might.  The gray fog slowly vanished, and Justin looked up, only to see something he was _not_ ready for.

A Ranger decked out in grey stood before them, her body lightly coiled.  Her weapons were two large shields attached to her forearms—she could still punch, but they stood as her guards.  Growling low in his throat, he asked, "Who are you?"

"I am the Gray Cloud Ranger of the Shadow Elementalist Rangers," a voice answered, mainly the voice of the Purple Ranger, but also echoing five other voices. "Representing the Circle of Shadow, I am the pinnacle of the Shadow Elementalist Rangers as the Gray Spellcaster of the Element of the Overcast Cloud."

And Justin felt a chill run through his veins.  Of the Color Magics, there were eighteen disciplines which were widely practiced: the six of Light, the six of Shadow, and the six of Dark.  But there were also three more which required another realm of control and power—the White Magic of Shine, the Black Magic of Eclipse... and the Gray Magic of Cloud.

It was well known among magical practitioners aware of the Color Magics that to face against a user of one of those three disciplines unprepared was tantamount to suicide.

Justin's lips tightened beneath his helmet, and he did the only thing he could.

He broadcast a loud telepathic message to his teammates, depending on the magical bond their shared as a team to make sure it got through.

Gray tilted her head in a parody of nice smile. "Did you not think we would notice that you'd be after this?  We learned from our mistake with the Meifuushin and every resulting defeat.  Light Elementalist Rangers, you will not survive this battle."

Kayla's reply was to launch an Air Thrust.  Normally an intermediate Silver Spell to conjure three discs of wind and have them all impact a target at once, Kayla's version summoned nine of them, which paused once before flying toward their opponent.  Justin drew his sword and dashed forward behind the spell, only to jump back and hiss when the Silver spell bounced off a cloud barrier, firing in all directions.

"Cloudy Reflection," Gray murmured offhand. "It's quite a handy spell." She then sped forward, left shield up in front of her.  Justin moved to side-step the charge, only to fall victim to a clothesline as Gray stretched out her right arm and slammed into his chest with her shield at full force.  On his back, Justin had to take a moment to recover, just in time to see Kayla be viciously kicked away.  As Kayla used winds to right herself, Justin tossed a couple of qi blasts.  He dashed to the right when they were, predictably, redirected by the Cloudy Reflection spell, and he used his telekinesis to knock away the retaliatory Hadouken, courtesy of the fighter magic stolen from Lina.

His sword came up, only to be blocked by the left shield.  He ducked beneath the right as it swung around, and he dropped to the floor, intending to kick her legs from beneath her.  But, moving faster than he thought possible, Gray recovered and dodged the move.  Justin realized that she was under the effects of a Haste spell, just as she jumped forward again, her fist encased in ice.

Justin spun around and let Kayla launch a psionic bolt barrage, charging a spell in the meantime.  Adriana's mental abilities warded the strike off, and the mental lashes used as a response were blocked by the Silver Ranger's psi-shielding, just as Justin cast Ancient Nova.  The devastating fury which once decimated a battlefield was now focused on a single target.

"Barrier!" Instantly, a cloud shield surrounded Gray and blocked the magical attack without fail. "Stand by me, warrior maidens!  Valkyrie!" The beautiful warriors briefly surrounded the Ranger as she invoked their power, and, suddenly glowing a fierce gray, she dashed forward, faster than even Haste could achieve.  Justin ducked a blast of pyrothunder, energy magic gained from Cassy's defeat, which raced over his head, and he barely got his guard up in time to defend against the hammering blows the Ranger rained upon him.  The psionic bolts and psi balls Kayla sent in to distract her did nothing; the other Ranger easily multitasked with psychic defenses as she continued to fight him.  She could even cast Cloudy Reflection without a second thought, ruining most of the spells both he and Kayla attempted.

"FREEZE!" shouted Kayla suddenly, and Gray responded by freezing in place.  Justin took the time to recuperate, jumping back several times to put distance between him and their dangerous foe.  He caught his breath and Kayla repeated her command again and again to stall for time, but each repetition took its toll on the Silver Ranger, taxing her magical reserves like few abilities could.

"ST—"

" **SPELL BREAK!** "

Gray called the spell out before Kayla's command magic could take effect again, and the backlash from the interrupted spell caused the Silver Ranger to be launched backward into the wall, leaving Justin privy to a panting, angry Gray Ranger.  The Shadow Elementalist Ranger growled low in her throat, clouds swirling around her form as she launched a few blasts of energy and weaved around Justin's peppering spells in a pattern-like motion.

Before Justin could break the pattern, his limbs started to seize up, and he cursed when he realized that Alex's dance magic, coupled with his sorcery, was keeping him in place.  As he began to break the layered spells, he could feel the magic gathering in the room, and Justin cursed again when he noticed that Gray was building a spell.

"Shadows looming in the crevices of the world, gather in a blade to drive a wedge into the smallest of cracks and release that which is most hidden!  Negative Blade!"

"Earth Release: Earth Shore Return!"

The gigantic sword of shadows summoned by the Negative Blade spell, an augment to Gray's shields, was blocked by Fred's sudden arrival, though the earthen wall created by the technique was pulverized by the spell.  Alyssa was already on him, shattering the binding spells with her magic as Nico healed Kayla and Sylvia distracted Gray with her cloning abilities, each one holding a copy of her Brown Earth Axe.

"We can't leave you two alone, can we?" Alyssa asked impishly as she passed off a mana potion, the last Justin could take.

"She's a Gray Magic user," Justin replied shortly after downing it, and he was grimly satisfied at the way his team sobered up. "We've got our work cut out for us."

Fred shrugged his shoulders. "It doesn't matter.  We can handle anything."

Damning words.

Gritting his teeth, Justin rose to his feet. "Watch out, she's fast and got a bunch of enchantments.  DOWN!" He roared out the last command as a red dragon burst from the ground.  Recognizing the beast as the animal associated with the Red Eruption Power, Justin rolled away from its maw as it opened and released a stream of flame.  Riding on its shoulder, even as five more animals appeared as her will, was the Gray Ranger as she directed the action.  Justin shoved Alyssa out of the path of the charging ox which left ice in its wake, and he just barely brought his sword up in time to jam it in a panther's jaws about to bite down on his neck.  Lightning surged up his arms, but, pouring qi and magic into his legs, he kicked up into the beast's stomach and launched it away, only to be blindsided by a beam of water from a seal.  The seal lowered its head and _swam_ through the air in an attempt to headbutt him, but Nico suddenly shimmered into place and, swinging his staff up, knocked it off course.

Launching a Fireball without looking, Justin pulled hard with his telekinesis to grab his sword and guard against the falcon's talons as it swooped from the sky, heedless of Kayla's attempts at knocking it down with drilling wind spells.  Lightning streaked from Fred's hand, and Justin coupled it with an Eruption spell in an attempt to trap it in place, but the rising magma didn't even come near the falcon in time before it had flown high in the sky again, and the raining fireballs appeared too low.

Spinning wildly, Justin managed to brace for impact as Sylvia flew through the air, courtesy of the deer now lowering its legs.  Fred appeared at his side, and before Justin knew it he was in the middle of a teleportation art as the panther, now covered in lightning, charged through the space he had been occupying before.

Justin fell back to the sides of the room as he began to cast his spell. "Emperor of the flame, bring forth your raging fury to incinerate all to ash and ruin!  Leave naught behind but the blasted bones of my foe..." Before he could finish his chant, Gray was in his face, slamming her shield into the side of his head hard enough that, had be not been quietly reinforcing his helmet with qi, it would have knocked it clear off.  Even then, he thought he might've heard something crack, but he couldn't dare focus on it.  Savagely biting out the rest of his spell, he called out, "...and show them the might of fire!  Explode!"

Pure, epic silence as a single mote of fire appeared in the air before all hell broke loose.  It lowered a few inches before expanding into a giant orb of flame of such radius its center was level at the ground.  In the fires that bathed the battlefield, Nico managed to find him and, his hands already glowing white from the amount he healed, was pouring magic into his head.  Justin kept the spell up as long as he could, could feel the ox so attuned to the Purple Blizzard Power fall as in the confusion the others dispatched their immobilized enemies, when Gray's voice called above the din.  Fog, unrelenting fog, swallowed up his strongest fire and, connected as he still was to the spell, Justin felt the fog invade his senses too.  It was becoming hard to breathe, the fog expanding in his chest and cutting off his air supply.  Desperately, Justin tried to summon another Explode to clear the room, but there simply wasn't enough air.

Nico's voice whispered a chant in his ear. "Fog hiding my foes from sight, disperse before the Phoenix's light."

Briefly, Justin wondered which phoenix he was referring to—the phoenix of the Orange Magic or that strange phoenix witch Nico had become in another world before he could think clearly again.  He was up in a flash, sword in hand to block the shield that Gray tossed his way.  He didn't feel it until a magically enhanced strike struck his back, just as Gray materialized on the other side of the shield and kicked Nico aside.

Justin righted himself with a cartwheel and, using a flash of qi, launched himself into the air.  Taking a bird-eye view of the action, he saw Kayla twist away from one of Gray's blows, stepping in and fouling her movement.  She followed it up with a cutting wind strike as Justin landed, and he heard Alyssa call out an Ice Storm spell.  Taking refuge in the frozen winds that would never hurt them, Sylvia and two clones dived in, Fred appearing from above with lightning and chakra crackling around his frame.

Trusting his teammates, Justin called one of his favorite spells, and it wasn't even an Orange one.  He murmured his preparations, eyes intent on the action in front of him.  He met Alyssa's gaze across the room, though neither could see past the others' masks.  She smiled in her body language as she continued to feed energy into the swirling mass.  He didn't say anything as nine glyphs, deep red as opposed to orange, flashed to life around the circle.  He was pouring a lot of his magic into this spell, but it had to be strong.  It needed to be.

"Fire Dragon Type Nine!"

Sylvia, Kayla, and Fred dived out of the way toward Nico, who was already moving to heal them, just as nine columns of fire, each headed by a dragon's maw, rushed out of the glyphs.  They all crashed into Gray, scorching her body with its almighty fury.  Justin fed more magic into the attack so that the dragons curled around Gray, keeping it up even as Kayla summoned a Cyclone that absorbed his fires and made them burn even hotter by concentrating them.  Sylvia, now healed again and having downed her last mana potion, launched a Rolling Stone spell that summoned huge, dancing boulders which melted into magma.  When Justin couldn't hold the spell anymore, he fell to his knees panting.  He heard Nico calling a Maelstrom with one ear, buffeting Gray inside a whirlpool of water, and Alyssa helping with an Embrace End that dropped a huge iceberg on her foe.  The magma around her hardened into solid stone under their watch.

Justin managed to get to his knees; magical exhaustion was nothing new to the group, but even his capacity to pull qi was being torn by the energy he had expended.  Using his sword as his crutch, he finally stood, just as Fred, hand pulsing with lightning chakra and body surrounded by twin dragons from the Gold spell Volt Dragon, shattered stone as they drove through Gray's body.

For a moment, the six Rangers circled Gray.  She had to have been hurt; she had to have been.  And then Justin's heart dropped.

The body in their midst faded like mist.

Justin had little time to curse before, again, Gray got the drop on him with what had to have been a magically-enhanced hit, the blow forcefully knocking him across the room.  He heard Sylvia go down with a scream along with the audible sound of snapping bone.  Drained as they were, they held little chance as Gray tore through them.

When he finally got his bearings, he took stock of what was happening.

Nico stood off to the side, staff on the ground as he used his magic to heal Sylvia's broken leg after setting it.  Alyssa stood guard over them, though it was obvious she was on her last legs from the overly tight way she held her daggers and how she hesitated before denying a mana potion, even when the rest of them had hit their limit.

Kayla nearly passed out from overexerting her magic, and she wouldn't be much use either—she didn't even pair her movements with wind spells as she danced around Gray's blows, spear in hand.

Fred was at his side, one of the last scrolls he carried, and one of the few remaining from his interactions with those other ninja, about to be loosed.  His hands were trembling as he paid the requisite blood price, streaking it across the paper's width and calling, "Sealing Circle: Energy Disruption!" Before the technique could fully take hold, the scroll was shot out of his hands by a casually flung shield as Kayla was knocked away.  Fred sunk to the floor, pushing chakra exhaustion.

Justin cast Flare Tornado in the same moment, hoping that the last-ditch swirling spell could buy some time, but he wasn't nearly at his usual strength; Gray dispelled it with a simple wave of the hand.  It was all he could do to stay standing, drained as he was of all his energy.

"Do you see now?  Do you see now that your fight is useless?" The Gray Ranger laughed mirthlessly, hollowly, mockingly. "Did you honestly believe you could fight me?  You will all fall here, and the war will end without our masters ever setting foot on the battlefield.  You cannot defeat us, and you will not.  This will all end with the corruption of Earth.  Do you not see how it will end now?"

Perhaps if she'd simply been content to finish them off, she could have avoided what followed.  But her words struck something within Justin, causing him to straighten his stance.  The memories of his utter helplessness during the Power Chamber's invasion blurred with the pained cries of his comrades.  In this moment, he did something which he was **never** able to do before.

He turned the experience into his strength.

Too long was he plagued by the fear stemming from the event.  But now...

He resolved to never, ever let something like that happen again.

"No," Justin whispered softly. "No."

Gray paused, as if sensing some of Justin's increasing intent. "What?"

"No.  No.  No." With each repetition, Justin's voice became increasingly louder.  His blood roared beneath his skin, pulsing past his ears loudly.  But he was beyond that—only the beat of his heart mattered, the volume seeming to intensify with each passing moment.

"No." His fellow Rangers seemed to have caught onto his litany, following him in standing straight as their voices rang as one throughout the room.

With one final, primal scream, they shouted, "NO!" in unison, and the room exploded in white light.

**OoOoO**

"Hey dad," Justin grinned as he entered the room, plopping down on the worn sofa and kicking back.  His father smiled at him softly before returning to his work, poring over papers at his living room desk.  Justin shrugged and turned his attention to the television.

He channel surfed, trying to find something interesting, but he failed miserably.  There seemed to be nothing on at the moment; he lost interest in everything, even in the news, within the first minute or so.

After exhausting the choices in the television, he turned around, scratching an itch on his left wrist.  There was a charge in the air which was telling him that he should be doing something, anything, but he couldn't for the life of him figure out what it was.  Sighing to himself, he snuggled into the couch, ready to take a nap.  Maybe there'd be something to do when he awoke.

_...don't..._

His ears caught the faint whisper, and Justin slowly sat up.  Stretching the edges of his hearing, he attempted to discern the source.

_...turn...television..._

Implicitly trusting that voice, he reached for the remote.  When the television turned on, he immediately noted that it was a news station.

"Huh, the Rangers are doing well," he noted when the Red Ranger fired a shot into the monster's center of mass, which was also its weak spot.  He was about to change stations when his hand froze over the remote.  His spine stiffened, and a sense of unease crawled up his back.

"What...  What am I missing?"

He reached out for his wrist, and then he paused again.  There was nothing there.  Why was he reaching for it?

His heart hurt.

Cupping his hands over his heart, he wondered what was causing this pain.  He wasn't close to anyone, not anymore, not after his dad moved them to New York so that he could attend college there.  He had friends, but none of them ever wormed their way so deeply into his emotions... none since Angel Grove, whose residents he hadn't seen in so long.

Sharp confusion warred with the ever-present loneliness and begat anxiety. "I... don't understand."

_...listen to...lies beyond...surface..._

He looked deeper into himself, touching the strange pain in his heart.  It felt so foreign, but, at the same time, it was so familiar.  It sent such an aching longing throughout his body that it was all he could do to stifle the tears in his eyes when they sprung up.

"It's not right," he realized.  The beating of his heart echoed the pulsating loneliness he now discovered. "Nothing's right, nothing's right at all."

A part of him said that it **was** right, was the way it should have been.  There was nothing strange at all.

But a far louder part of him knew that it was wrong, that there were things—people—missing.

"It's all wrong!" he shouted, hands clenching into fists. "Everything's **WRONG**!"

Screaming with all his emotions, Justin slammed his foot into the ground, and the room around him rippled before shattering.  Surrounded in white light, he _remembered_ everything.  Remembered what was wrong with the false world.

It lacked the people of his heart.

Lashing out with his magic, he hooked onto the familiar presence, one he hadn't felt near in so long.  Once he broke through the light, he came across those assembled, and there was a simple consensus.

"Element Morph!" came the voices of, not six, but _seven_ people in unison.

"White Shine Power!"

And the light encompassed them all.

**OoOoO**

"Gray Cloud Ranger," Justin called, six voices underlying his own, his Ranger suit, a white version of the template off of which the rest of the Elementalist Rangers were based, glowing brightly. "I am the White Shine Ranger of the Light Elementalist Rangers.  As the White Spellcaster of the Element of the Glowing Shine, I am the pinnacle of the Light Elementalist Rangers, he who is the Star of Light." He held up his hands and called to him his weapon, the White Shine Blade.

Seemingly incensed by the new development, Gray launched several small Negative Blades from her shields, reforming them as soon as they fired, but Justin was quick to respond with a Divine Saber, white rays falling from a magic circle to strike down the attacks before they even reached him.  A voice spoke to him, quietly, and Justin launched a Prism Flasher, whose casting he had almost been privy to long ago.

Cloudy Reflection came up once again, and the flashing sword of rainbows bounced off it.  Right when the spell dissipated, another shot through, and the spell came up again.  Then, at unpredictable intervals, the swords began to fall, faster at times, slowing to a stop at others.  Gray was so busy trying to deflect the blades that she didn't see Justin until he was upon her, sword slicing into her unprotected back.

The voice of magic was never as loud in his ears as now as it pulled at him.  He deflected one of her blows and similarly threw off the voice in his head.

Justin knew that he could do what it told him.  It urged him to loose spell after spell, to cast Divine Saber after Judgment after Holy Lance to overwhelm the Gray Ranger in the power of light.  He had the spells, he had the magic.

But Justin still vividly remembered how Gray barely tired as she matched all six of them.

His fingers twitched as he drew his hand back and punched.  Fred's chakra enhancements mixed with Alyssa's density manipulation to become a blow of immense strength.  For the first time, the Gray Ranger paused as he met her with raw strength.  Pooling qi, chakra, and magic into his legs, he shot forward and, combining sword slashes with punches from his free hand, launched a steady stream of attacks.  He bolstered his strength once more with density manipulation, and Gray's blocks began to falter in spite of the magic she poured into her defenses.

But, damn it, it still hurt when Gray's shield smashed into his head.  He grunted and bounced against the ground, but he performed ninja seals with one hand and sent some of Sylvia's clones forward to engage Gray.

First thing was first though.  He didn't want to be caught off guard again.  He quickly called a couple of Shadow Clones into existence using chakra and sent them off to various parts of the battlefield.

Then, as his clones kept Gray at bay, Justin began messing around with some White spells.  Nico, already racing ahead, pulled them apart and began modifying them to do what he needed, with Alyssa thoughtfully sharing some alternate views.  Barely a second later, they had it.  Taking the healing White Magic, he whispered, "Bask in the shine of the divine light, Holy Bless!"

Light pooled in him.  Slowly, bit by bit, he could feel his energy return.  It became easier to breathe with each passing second, and the ache in his limbs began to melt away.  Just in time—he felt a jolt as he hastily retracted his clones from killing blows.

Gray was staring at him.  It took a moment for Justin to recognize the surprise in her body stance, "No...  No way.  That was...  It replicates Shade's Favor but..." Her voice took on a mixture of awe and disbelief. "Do you know what you just did...?  The White Magic has _never_ had a status effect spell.  The _Light Magic_ has never had a status effect spell.  The hell did that—"

Her hesitation was his boon.  Justin was closing the distance between them in an instant, sword ready, as he chanted, "O sacred will, strike down mine enemies!" The white glyph was forming before he even finished, and Gray moved out of its range and summoned more valkyries to enhance her strength.

Justin felt a smirk cross his face though he felt no victory as, instead of the glyph releasing a multitude of white beams, he jumped through it.

"Divine Saber: Armament!"

By the Power, it _hurt_.  Magic crackled around him as he fought and tamed it.  Every pore of him filled with light until it shined.  It burned like the sun, and he thought he might have felt his skin blister as it had done back at the Power Chamber, but he fought and tamed it—fought this burning light until he made it his own.

No longer would he fear it all, as he melted it all away in his light.

Wreathed in a halo of magic, Justin sped forward as magic became his very being.  Speed, strength, skill—all of it increased due to the Divine Saber.  And as he blurred forward, fast enough that not even Gray, layered under so many speed enchantments, could follow him, he knew that this was how it had to be.

Justin attacked as if his life depended on it.  He never let up, pouring all of thought and energy into matching Gray blow for blow, block for block.  And he showed her that, for all of her enhancements...

He was _better_.

They were **better**.

Though she could match him in speed and strength, what she could not match in was attacking spells.

Pillars of light fell from the ceiling as Justin called upon Judgment to rain light across the battlefield.

Gray would have stood a chance if he were unenhanced, relying on only his attack magic to see him through.

But as he was, channeling light into his body to match the abilities that the shadows gave her?

No chance.

Gray covered the world in mist once more.  Justin, now blind, began relying on his senses to try and feel her out.  Though much augmented by the White Shine, he still couldn't feel through his mist, but, as he brought his sword up to block the shadow bolt headed toward him, it was obvious that Gray was under no such disadvantage.

Fred whispered in his ear, and Justin could feel Sylvia's smirk next to Kayla's comments.

His movements became a little more harried, a little sloppier.  He left himself just a little more open, for long enough that Gray would wonder if it was a feint or just an opening.  C'mon, just take the bait...

Between one breath and the next, Gray materialized behind him, shield raised to strike.

She stepped onto his glyph, cast by his shadow clone, who had been watching the entire time.

Divine Saber roared to life beneath his feet, triggered by Gray's presence.  Beams of light rained from the sky, circling ever closing to the glyph's center, at which point a giant column fell.  Justin stood unharmed in the attack, but the same could not be said for Gray, as her mist was burned through by his light.  When Justin swept in with his sword like a shining star, it was obvious who had control of the match.  But Justin knew that he had to end this soon, so he began his chant between attacks.

"Toll, the beginning of time, and unleash that fount of power unto this land as light incarnate!"

Gray attempted to summon some defenses, but Justin's blade cut through them like paper.  Hand glowing brighter than the rest of his body, he slammed it into Gray's chest as he declared triumphantly, "Big Bang!"

Light, pure white, shone so bright that even Justin was forced to close his eyes against its intensity.  But he could feel the magic explode with the force of a nuke, though he stood unruffled in the center of the attack.

As the glow dimmed, slowly, ever slowly, and for a moment, all was still.  Justin then turned away to perform the purification ritual.  Gray slowly slumped to the ground behind him, her morph breaking and leaving six worn-out Shadow Elementalist Rangers in her wake.

The rite completed, Justin turned around and said quietly, "Go.  You have lost this battle." He closed his eyes as he felt the opportunity to save the souls of sixteen fellow Rangers slip through his grasp, but, even with all of their power combined, it wasn't enough to purify them.  Not with how weak they were.

The Shadow Elementalist Rangers slowly teleported, leaving only the Blue Tsunami Ranger left.  He only lingered for a moment, but he then vanished as well in a swirl of blue.

Justin sighed deeply and warped out of the now purified nexus, letting it remove what remained of their foes' forces.  Landing in the park, Justin's shoulders slumped as he let both his morphs break—the first returned them back to six Rangers, and the second returned him to civilian form.

He bleakly looked up at his fellow Rangers, his eyes sad. "I'm **so** tired, guys."

"We all are," whispered Alyssa faintly. "That was a last minute miracle..."

"...all due to Jace," finished Fred.  As all eyes turned to him, their Gold Ranger elaborated, "He was the one who brought us all together, couldn't you tell?  It was his voice..."

"...which let us break the spell and gather together," said Sylvia softly. "So that was Jace; I can see he was a good person."

"Too good," whispered Justin. "Far too good." He wiped away an errant tear, feeling his muscles sag. "He was so close...  I could feel his aura."

Fred gave an almost shrill laugh as he lowered his cap over his eyes. "I almost forgot that he could use White Magic.  Remember our first training session?  How he said that that last spell wasn't a Healing spell?"

"Shit, man," cursed Nico uncharacteristically, his eyes wide. " _That_ spell, that one he learned after only a month with all of the Light Elementalist Powers, was Prism Flasher?"

"Yeah, it was.  Jace was a genius with magic, didn't you know?" Justin wiped away his tears, offering a wobbly smile to his teammates.

"You two don't talk about him often," Kayla said softly, no rebuke in her voice. "Nico and I...  We could tell he meant a lot to you two.  But we don't know much about him."

The Orange and Gold Rangers looked at each other, knowing that they should report back to Kamion.  But, now that everyone had had a taste of Jace's aura, Justin felt like he should tell them something, and he knew Fred agreed.

"Sit down," Justin ordered quietly, "and let Fred and I tell you of the boy we knew, who lives on—literally—inside of Fred." As the group settled down, Justin began, "I actually met Jace the first time I ventured into Boston—"

And so Justin and Fred stilled what they knew about the second Aqua Water Ranger, of his abilities and his personality and his trials.  And the four other Light Elementalist Rangers listened to the story of the one who saved them when there was no hope left.

**OoOoO**

"—and that's how he died," finished Justin, "killing a Hades God and preventing the ritual from bringing any more.  He lives on inside of Fred, however.  We want to bring him back to life, but we're so afraid..."

"...and you have every right to be," Alyssa added. "The magical consequences of these homunculi on a marked soul such as his...  I'm afraid of what will be done, if we don't purify them first." She shrugged. "There's nothing we can do at the moment."

"I think we should—" whatever Sylvia was going to say was lost forever as she abruptly quieted, the other Rangers following her lead.

 **"I think there's someone around here,"** thought-spoke Fred, and Justin was startled to realize that everyone could hear him.

 **"We can speak like this?"** Nico asked.

 **"A side-effect of the White Shine Powers, I'm sure,"** Alyssa freely admitted, **"but that isn't the point.  What is, is that we have an enemy around.  Can anyone sense?"**

 **"I think—"** Fred broke off and roared out, "Get down!" in his normal voice.  As the sage advice was followed, Fred swiftly drew several kunai and sent them forward to intercept those flying straight for them. "Who's there?" the ninja shouted.

There was no reply, but Justin, used to detecting Fred, could hear the leaves shift, and he nodded carefully to Alyssa.  The Indigo Ranger received the message, grinned, and proceeded to utilize her nature magic to send their observer flying out of the tree.

Justin hissed when he realized that it was Ami Mai-Hana, Jace's mother, who now lay at their feet.  True to the ninja outfit she was wearing, however, she quickly recovered and put herself in a position where all six could be seen.

"You're Jace's mother," Fred observed quietly. "I should have known you were the one who taught him."

"You're Jace's friends," the woman said in recognition.  Then her brown eyes steeled as angry chakra swirled around her. "You're also the last chakra trace I found at Jace's place of death!  What happened to my boy?" There were rage and grief in those eyes, and Justin instantly felt his heart go out to her.

Unfortunately, he was bound by his oaths to the Power, and he couldn't break those, no matter how much he wanted to.  No matter how much they all wanted to.

"We can't..." Justin started, but Ami interrupted him coldly.

"Can't or won't?" she hissed. "If you won't tell me...  I have no qualms about beating it out of you!" Instantly, a scroll was in the air, and her blood was used to summon an attack.

"Lightning Release: Lightning God Sword!" Fred was in there in a flash, thrusting an electricity-covered hand through the water beast summoned and dispelling it.  Justin's heart leapt into his throat as he realized it was the same technique which had dispatched Drake.

Ami leapt back and drew her katana.  Fred, tired as he was, met her half-way with a shuriken barrage, and the two ninja quickly vanished.

Alyssa had straightened after her magic usage, and she seemed to be concentrating on something.  She suddenly lashed out with a spell, and a man's silent approach was thwarted.

"You were there at my son's disappearance," the man said icily, and Justin was surprised to see someone who liked very much like an older Alexander Mai staring back at him. "I want to know what happened to him, why his magical signature keeps appearing and disappearing."

"Magic duel!" Alyssa cut in before Justin could give the standard line. "I challenge you, sorcerer, to a magical fight.  Ready yourself!" The mage was quick to lead Glen Mai away, retaliating against spells often used by the Green Quake Ranger, Kyle Mizuki, when he used sorcery, except with much more proficiency and decades of mastership.

"If that's the mage and ninja," Kayla said softly as she looked into Justin's eyes, "then we both know who's next." He nodded and let Kayla toss up a psi shield, just as attempts to look into their minds began.  Frustrated, Kayla sent a psionic bolt, and Justin was entirely unsurprised when it was warded off much like Pink would have.

"Jonathan Budinski," Justin named their attacker softly, "Adriana's father."

"I assume you'd like a psychic duel then?" The blond man asked with a feral grin.

Kayla responded with a flood of psychic energy which caused the man to wince and shake his head before retaliating.

Amidst the three battles around him, Justin attempted to help... but acting as the conduit for the White Shine Power had left his reserves—both magical and physical—almost completely drained, especially after the fierce battle beforehand.  It was all he could do to fend off the telepathic breaches of his mind Jonathan attempted.

Nico and Sylvia danced around him, using what remained of their energy to ward off stray strikes.  But they too were exhausted, their reactions a split-second slower than they should've been, and it was only a matter of time before something got through.

And then one of Ami's attacks veered off course, a fireball barrage which Fred ducked beneath, only to have it fly toward Justin.  Nico's Aqua Laser only dissipated due to his weakness, and Sylvia was still too dazed from a knockout spell Glen attempted to help.  Justin summoned his failing qi powers to at least try to defend himself, but he knew it would be a close call.

Or it would've been.

"Tsunami Arcs!"

All action froze when three arcs of water Justin was so used to seeing used against him actually annihilated the oncoming attack.

For the fourth time, someone appeared.

The Blue Tsunami Ranger leaned heavily on his Blue Tsunami Scythe as he looked at them.  It was obvious that the special attack used the last of his strength, but he still lurched forward, swinging his weapon at odd angles and sending Ami one way and Fred the other.  The shock allowed Kayla to send off a psi ball which hit Jonathan with enough force to cause his physical body to crumple, and Alyssa used the intervening moments to knock Glen out with a specially modified air spell.

Justin turned toward Blue, whose morph was trailing blue sparks. "You're...  Lan's homunculus, right?"

"Close," Blue allowed, "but not quite.  I'm the first homunculus the Dark Elementalist Rangers—" here he paused, eyeing each of the Light Elementalist Rangers. "You're aware they're our bosses, right?"

"Light and Shadow?" Alyssa very nearly rolled her eyes. "Kind of obvious?  We know enough of the Color Magics' trinity to guess."

"Anyway," Lan continued, stoutly ignoring the half-assed battle going on behind him as Ami attempted to attack once more, except this time five Rangers were keeping her in check with half of their attention, "they screwed up, badly, with me.  The rest are proper homunculi whose survival depends on the Power, which is why we've never demorphed, and whose souls are repressed by the Dark Elementalist Rangers' orders, but for me..." There was a muted flash of light, and then a teenaged male stood before them, Chinese features framing a strong jaw and brown eyes shining with blue from devotion to the Blue Magics. "I'm really close to the real Lan," he finished.

There was utter silence following his admission; even Ami paused at the implications in his statement.  Lan continued in the bleak quiet, stating, "Over the past couple of years, I've been bouncing back and forth from consciousness and not, sometimes coherent and other times asleep.  Whenever I could, I tried to help—but then the homunculus's orders kept forcing me back into the background.  I've been growing stronger since Lance's death; his soul aids mine.  Now, I'm completely free." Blue-marked brown eyes filled with tears. "I'm completely free now...  I need your help."

"You want asylum?" asked Nico tentatively, unsure.

"No," Lan rejected, his face tightening. "I can't...  I can't ever go back to my life—or any lives.  Look at me!" he laughed bitterly, motioning to his body. "I can't...  I'm dead!  My family's moved away, and the only person still alive from my original group..." He paused, tears streaking down his eyes. "He's threatened by my very existence.  I want...  I want you to kill me." He looked up and immediately saw the rejection filling each of the Light Elementalists' eyes, and Lan's face immediately twisted into a knowing smirk. "Good Rangers till the end, huh?  I knew you wouldn't do it.  How's this?  Lance's willing to stay in the body long enough for another soul to reanimate it...  And make it real.  This homunculus will mold around a new soul and, with a few magical tweaks, will make it a real body." Lan looked darkly into Justin's eyes. "Do you understand?"

And Justin did.  He wanted so badly to take the offer, to bring back the one person he lost whom he's always wanted back.  He wanted to badly...  But he hadn't made it this far by sacrificing others to suit his needs.

"I understand... but no." He looked up, and his eyes were just as dark and jaded. "No, I can't sacrifice a life just to bring him back."

"Then do it for me," Lan said quietly, his gaze intense. "We're dead.  We're both dead.  Don't let us dead souls linger.  Lance and I don't want to stay here any longer than we have to.  Grant us peace; grant us the afterlife which was denied to us in our death." Lan's voice took on a different tone, and Justin realized it was Lance Drahin, the original Aqua Water Ranger, speaking. "Let me do this for the boy who loved the swimming classes we had together, who looked so bright and cheery he made me so damn happy, who could've been the only student—and I would have been just as happy." And then it back to Lan again, who had a smoldering gaze in his eyes. "And let me do it, for the only boy I've ever loved." Tears fell freely again as Lan's emotions overflowed. "He was the only boy I was able to love in my short time on Earth; let me give him the only gift I can."

"We'll do it."

Though it was Fred's body that moved, Fred's body that walked toward Lan, it wasn't his voice who spoke.  Fred's body moved in such a way that Justin knew it wasn't Fred—it was someone else entirely.

"Jace?" Ami half-gasped, her katana grasped loosely in her fingers. "Is that you?"

Fred's body stopped and half-turned toward Ami, throwing a lop-sided smile which was so purely Jace that the ninja fell to her knees, her katana dropping beside her, and wept.

"If I had known how you felt, way back when we were children..." Fred rose up and kissed the much taller Lan's forehead. "I honestly think that things may have been different.  But, know this—I always did hold you special in my heart.  And, Lance?"  Jace's smile through Fred was much brighter than it had ever been after the deaths of his friends and teammates. "It was fun."

Tears fell unabashedly from Lan's eyes now, and he smiled wobbly.  He moved forward, as if to embrace Fred, but then he stood back and shook his head. "I just wanted to say...  You all were good people and formidable enemies.  Under different circumstances, I would have loved to be your friends."

"Oh," Lance came up to the front again, and he looked straight at Nico as he did so. "My successor, Nico...  You're one of the brightest people I know.  Don't ever lose that shine, and don't ever hesitate to tell others what you feel." Nico, though initially startled, blushed as his predecessor hinted at his predisposition to hide his bad moods, which often ended blowing up in his face. "But...  You're one of the best people for the job, don't ever doubt that."

Lan then looked up. "I think we're done.  One last thing though.  Nico, I have a present for you when I leave."

"A present?" Nico voiced questioningly.

"All of my magic." The answer was stated so simply that Justin was sure he heard wrong.  But then Nico gasped and Justin didn't need to see the look of surprise cross his face.

"But, it's—"

"—magic that I did not earn," Lan cut in. "It's not anything I deserve."

The voice then shifted as Lance said, "And I will leave you my magic as well.  Please, do this for me."  Lan only waited until Nico's nod before he continued.

A rare look crossed his face as he hesitatingly said, "When you... When you do it, can you make it quick?" For the first time, fear entered Lan's voice. "I—I'm not sure I can handle anything..."

"You won't feel a thing," Alyssa assured quietly.

She stepped forward, her fingers flexing.  Leaning in, Justin could hear her whisper, "A warrior's death, eyes forward," as she charged the lightning from a thunderstorm between her fingers and launched a carefully placed bolt into his brain stem.  She held it there for a moment as the brain's impulses slowed then stopped.

"Bridge the path!" she called out. "We don't want anything to happen!"

"Nico!" Justin shouted.

"On it!"

There was a flood of white as the absolute last of Nico's magic created a connection between Fred and the homunculus body.  There was a charge of light, and Justin was there to catch Fred as his eyes nearly rolled back into his head, almost collapsing.  The white light didn't fade after the connection closed—it instead intensified until the entirety of the homunculus's body was covered by the glow.  When Nico stumbled back as blue surrounded him, exhausted of his last energy—enough so that Alyssa broke her own promise and was pouring an energy potion down his throat—the white light faded, and a new body slowly stood, as if getting used to moving again.  When startling blue eyes marked by aqua opened in a face framed by long black hair, Justin's heart leapt into his throat, because, standing before him, stood Jace—older, more handsome, and much taller than his younger form, but Jace all the same.

"Hey," came the voice, deepened with age, "I'm back."

Justin's resolve broke, and he launched himself forward into Jace's waiting arms.  The strong, coiled muscles closed around both him and Fred, and the tears fell.  He cried hard into Jace's chest, feeling the familiar aura beneath the new body, and he felt comforted by it.  He felt Fred shaking beside him, and the sobs which shook Jace's own chest... and he felt far closer to complete than he ever had before.

"I've missed you guys so much," Jace's new voice cracked with his emotions. "I'm so sorry I left you."

"We understand," Justin replied quietly.

"Guys!" Fred, unwilling to move from the embrace, called over his shoulder. "This is Jace Hana-Mai, the former Aqua Water Ranger."

The four other Light Elementalist Rangers swarmed them, hugging and crying with the joy which was now palatable in the air.  Justin... felt at peace, finally—because Jace was with them.  A little older, a lot hotter, but it was still Jace.  The new teenager carefully extracted himself from the other Rangers, and Justin understood.  They respectfully stood back as Jace walked to his mother, who still sat on the ground crying.

"Mom?" Jace asked, slipping into Japanese as he did so. "I'm... back.  A little older maybe, but I'm back."

"Is it really you?" With one trembling hand, she caressed the aged face of her son, and Justin knew she knew he was truly her son.  Leaping to her feet, she embraced her boy—now her height. "I thought I had lost you."

"You did," he whispered, "but I came back...  I'm here because of Lan and Lance and all the others who've kept me safe and alive." He looked back at the gathered Rangers, his emotions shining. "I'm here because they've done what they could to protect my spirit."

"But... what happened?" Ami's eyes continued to be tearful, but there was a note of pleading in her voice. "I thought... the blood..."

Jace shook his head, his lips twitching sadly. "Close, but not quite." Jace looked back at Justin, and there was a question in his eyes. "Do you think you can...?  I know that you're telepathic...  Is there a way to combine it with postcognition and...?"

And Justin understood what he was saying...  but he couldn't.  He just couldn't. "I can't do a memory replacement on that wide of a scale.  I'm strong...  but I'm not that strong, and I doubt the ethics..."

Jace, bless him, understood. "Mom?  I need you to trust me.  Do you trust me?"

"Forever and ever," Ami whispered.

Justin tapped his communicator. "Ten to teleport...  You need to add another Power to the systems."

"Justin?" came Zeta's voice.

"The Blue Tsunami Shadow Elementalist Ranger," he looked at Jace, and his lips spread into a smile, "Jace."

Zeta's reply was to teleport the seven Rangers and three adults.

When the teleport streams faded, Ami gaped at their surroundings.  Allowing her to get used to her surroundings, Justin ran for some rejuvenation potions.  By the time he returned, Ami had composed herself, and Jace was prepping himself for his reunion with Kamion, already having had his with Zeta.  Justin tossed them to each of his fellow Rangers, leaving Alyssa to force another one down Nico's throat, and he downed one himself.

Sighing in relief, Justin nodded toward the others—Nico revived Jonathan and Alyssa broke the binding spell.  Both men groggily returned to their feet, and they stilled when they saw where they were.

In the meantime, Kamion's face appeared in his tube, looking down at the assembled people.  He froze when he came to the last, and it was a tear-stricken voice that he whispered, "Jace?"

"I've returned," Jace leaned back and gave an easy smile. "Lan converted and gave up his homunculus body.  It's now fully mine."

"Jace..." Kamion seemed to be at a loss for words.

Fortunately, Glen more than made up for it. "Jace?" the man's voice reached a high level. "You're alive?" Then his eyes seemed to alight with hope. "Then Alex is...?"

"Adriana?" Jonathan asked hopefully.

Jace immediately sobered, his expression darkening. "I—" He closed his eyes, and Justin wanted to run up to him and hug him, because there were tears in his eyes. "I'm sorry.  They...  The battle which took their lives...  It was pure luck that I survived."

"Brady saved you," Justin recalled, hoping to alleviate some of the pain. "He had a premonition, didn't he?  Nothing too strong, otherwise Red would be much harder to fight."

"How did...?" Jace half-turned to him, questions in his eyes.  They hadn't discussed the night of his team's near-annihilation...  It was always too close for him.

Justin held out his necklace. "I have the last remnants of my Blue Turbo Morpher here.  They protected me from the Elementalist Treaty's powers." He closed his eyes and sighed. "Fred and I were there at that last battle.  We..."

Jace shook his head. "It's all right.  It'll take too long to explain, but..."

Justin's lips twisted. "Do you want me to—"

"—if you can," he whispered. "I need to...  I need to see this again; I have to.  And they...  They deserve to know."

He didn't need to ask his fellow Rangers.  They all needed to know as well.

When the past-Jace began invoking the Elementalist Treaty, Justin drew them out of the vision—he wiped away his tears.

The only dry-eyes in the area were Zeta's, simply because he didn't have the physical capability to cry.

Jace wiped his tears away, turning to his mother and father. "That was... nearly a year ago.  I fought by myself for a month."

"Until the Gold Lightning and Orange Fire Powers deemed Fred and me worthy," Justin finished. "And then..." It didn't need to be said that Jace himself was lost not long afterward. "I need you to trust us on this—and keep our secret." He rolled his shoulders back, straightening his posture and showing he was the leader. "We trusted you with our information.  Don't betray that trust."

"But if we see you fighting—" Ami protested.

Jace's lips twisted sadly. "You won't even remember trying to help.  You're still neutrals.  You won't know if there's a battle, not until it's long over.  Give us our safety of mind and stay out of any battles."

"But—"

"It's better this way," Sylvia intervened quietly. "Only neutrals are protected by the Treaty.  If you aren't considered a neutral, you can't be revived if something happens." She closed her eyes. "Please, spare us that pain."

Jonathan was the first to respond. "I think I understand."

Glen closed his eyes, filled with tears. "I as well."

Ami hugged Jace close to her. "Don't die on me, all right?" was the only thing she could say.

"I won't, not again," Jace whispered, hugging her close.

And Justin's heart closed up on him, seeing the closeness Jace had with his mother—something he couldn't say with his own father.

But...  Having Jace back meant everything to him.  **Everything.**


	8. History of the Elementalist War

_Dear Journal,_

_I'm still...  I'm still so damn elated.  Jace is...  Jace is back.  Even though Lan had to give up his body in order to do it I...  It still feels so damn good.  He looks...  He's so much happier now than he ever was before.  He looks more at peace._

_And because Lan gave up the Blue Tsunami Power, the Shadow Elementalist Rangers are one down, and they cannot use the Gray Cloud Power either.  The Darkness Elementalist Rangers have also been dealt many blows—they've gained a foe and lost a general, a major nexus, and the ability to command the Gray Ranger.  Lan also managed to retain knowledge of some of the storage facilities—which we instantly raided.  We found many artifacts which we could store—and keep out of their grasp, among which were the Shadow Elementalist Rangers' Human and Beast Crystals.  Jace, as the Blue Tsunami Ranger now, has the ability to aid us in Zord battles now—but it doesn't matter, since those Crystals were what powered their growth spells._

_By mutual assent, we've each begun practicing White Magic now, though we can't activate anything more than a basic Photon, if that.  Well, at least Nico can.  The rest of us can use First Aid, an elementary rejuvenation spell.  Useful for beginners, but not in the type of battles we're embroiled in.  Jace can still use Prism Flasher and some of the intermediate spells, but, well, he's also struggling with learning Blue Magic, which came with his Blue Tsunami Powers.  The White Ranger has been regulated to pure desperation now—in its activation, we nearly lost ourselves in the light, and it's a risk we cannot take too often._

_But now...  Things have gone a lot better.  We're finally making headway into our battles.  And...  By the Power, everything seems so much better now.  I just need to pray for Lan and Lance._

_-Justin_

 

Justin shut his journal, dragging a hand through his hair.  He'd grown it to his shoulders in honor of Jace, and he'd gotten used to both the style and the ponytail he could easily pull it into.  The hair on Lan's homunculus body had been grown out into long tresses which reached to his mid-back, and Jace's new body kept that length, though he tied it into a long ponytail which Alex once had.  In deference to him, Justin wore his own loose.

He walked to the bathroom, quickly scrubbing his face.  Looking into the mirror's reflection, he was mildly startled at his eyes.  Though he could detect the vivid orange in the brown, he could see the hints of white melded within the two colors.  He snorted once—Jace's eyes were pure chaos, his own natural shade of blue marked by another blue, aqua, white, and gray—colors which easily beat out the bare sparks of orange, brown, gold, indigo, and silver which could been seen if looked at the right angle, remnants of the time he had those powers on his wrist.  Jace would be formidable if and when he could master them all, but he was settling for the Blue and Aqua Magics at the moment.

He grinned and did without his jacket.  It was warm enough that he didn't have to worry about it, and he instead went with an orange muscle-shirt with brown shorts.  Dashing down the steps, he called out, "I'm heading to Jace's!"

"All right!" came the reply.

Though Justin had initially said he couldn't do the type of thing Jace had asked, he eventually caved and did a memory-fogging, merely encouraging people to forget things, and only those whom had more than passing interactions with him.  He still felt a little guilt, but he thought it would be for best, and people with whom Jace had had very close interactions would still have some had had their memories replaced, people like Phil from Vivemus or shops Jace constantly frequented.  It didn't reach the same world-wide thing, where even his mother would have been changed, but it was close—and he'd done hacking to replace records, while Fred had ninja'd his way into replacing the hard copies.  It did help that Ami had been estranged from her family since she had married her husband and hadn't told them of Jace's birth, or that Glen hadn't contacted most of his family in decades.  The only person who had required extensive memory replacement had been Meiren Chen, Cassy's mother and Glen's sister.  Jace had had a lot of interactions with her, but...  He hadn't visited since, not while Cassy couldn't rest.

Justin used his hacking skills to insert Jace back into the system as a seventeen-year-old, home-schooled but transferring into a local high school, with his birth records completely computerized, as Justin attributed their loss to a hospital which burned down several years ago.  It saved a lot of trouble that way.

Running toward Jace's house, he grinned as he met Fred halfway, who also had a spring in his step.  Aside from Justin and Jace's parents, the Gold Ranger was probably the most enthusiastic that Jace was back.  Though they no longer harbored the romantic feelings which had begun to develop before his near-death, both of them remained affectionate toward their fellow Ranger, maybe more than they should, if any outsiders to their relationship were to look.  But, damn it, they couldn't help it.  And the other Light Elementalist Rangers had easily accepted the Blue Ranger into their midst as well—though Jace's prowess with the Color Magics were far more developed, Fred and Nico had outlasted him in their shared respective abilities, and there were no jealousy issues.

And the girls...  Well, Alyssa was giggling about having another hot gay friend to dress up since Nico's homosexual leanings amounted to random, rare comments, and Justin learned to quickly remove himself from her presence whenever she was in one of her moods.  Fred, perhaps in abuse of his ninja abilities, wisely kept out of sight as well.  He pitied Jace's new wardrobe, especially since Kayla and Sylvia whole-heartedly agreed with her and were quite willing to aid her in her quest to get Jace new clothing (his old ones didn't fit—his thirteen-year-old and his seventeen-year-old bodies were quite different. Lan's homunculus body had filled out with muscle and height, so Jace was left with the aqua shirt which showed his bellybutton and a pair of blue swim trunks which showed every muscle in his thighs) and he willingly left Jace to his fate.

They entered the home, Ami opening the door and smiling gratefully.  The Mai-Hana family had been open toward the Rangers, especially since they helped to ground Jace in his new life.  Neither of the adults commented when they came over, bruised and battered, and allowed them a ready excuse and use of resources.  Alyssa and Nico learned about the Mai's brand of sorcery from Glen, and they'd quickly taken to it.  Fred was brought under Ami's tutelage, especially after she found out that the capability for the Spirit Touch, as Fred had named the Hana bloodline limit, ran through his veins.  She'd been interested to find out how he'd improved Jace's arsenal of abilities and coupled it with the Ueda family's techniques, so it was as much a learning experience for her and Jace as it was for him.  She's also complemented him on the effectiveness of his Sealing Technique: Wave Deflection, though the fact that it required magic meant that she couldn't use it.  Sylvia also found a teacher in her, as she was well-versed in genjutsu, illusionary techniques, and could help her hand-to-hand.

Jonathan also aided them when he could.  While mourning his daughter's death, he taught Kayla and himself whatever he could about his brand of mental talents, figuring they could aid in fighting Pink as well as augmenting their own powers.  Both psychics were extremely grateful for his help and gave him what comfort they could when his ex-wife stormed in and began berating him about giving up hope.

There could be no hope for Adriana's return.

All three of the adults knew not to ask questions when one or more of them arrived looking half-dead.  It was something Justin couldn't be gladder for.

The two of them burst into Jace's room, and the teen guiltily looked up from a sketch he had been making as opposed to the studying he should have been doing.  Fred laughed and poked fun at Jace, but Justin instead looked at the drawing which looked eerily familiar.

"Who is this?" he asked curiously.

"Oh," Jace immediately blushed. "That's Jason.  He was... my first crush, but he disappeared a while back." He shrugged and idly scratched at the blue crystal which hung from his neck, his morpher as the Blue Tsunami Ranger. "I try to remember him through my sketches—we spent the better part of our lives together, but I've got no photos."

Justin was well aware of Jace's talent, and he knew that the high school Jace had chosen to attend the following year had an awesome art program, so he let him be.  Fred only grinned and nuzzled Jace's cheek, marveling at how open this new Jace was—evidenced when Jace didn't push him away, only blushing harder.

Justin saw bits of the boy Jace could've been, had the Shadow Elementalist Rangers not killed his team—his family of hearts—and was now truly discovering again.

"Alyssa wants to know if you want to go to Vivemus," Justin told Jace.  Seeing his panicked look, Justin grinned teasingly. "Kayla says you know which outfit to wear." Jace shuddered theatrically, but he still moved toward his closet.  Pausing, he tossed a look back at Fred and Justin.

"Do you think you can, you know?" he waggled his fingers, a blush streaking clear across his nose.

Fred shot the teen a leer which made Jace distinctly uncomfortable, but he still acknowledged his wishes and left, Justin following him.

Walking down the steps, Justin peeked into the kitchen, where Glen Mai sat in front of a grayed out photo of Alex.  Though Alex was dead, Glen could not perform funeral rites for him, even private ones—not while his soul was still bound by the Green Quake Power.

Making a lot of noise, Justin gave Glen time to compose himself before popping his head in, asking, "Can Jace come to Vivemus with us?"

Glen gave a nod and a small smile. "Tell him to have fun." The sorcerer adjusted his glasses before turning to the sink. "Please, be careful."

Justin sobered a bit, his gaze darkening slightly. "We will."

"Good."

And as Justin and Fred exited, they pretended not to notice as Glen returned to the picture of Alex, tracing the face within with loving strokes.

**OoOoO**

"Kayla!" screamed Alyssa, who, for a second, looked scandalized before she slowly began to appreciate what was in front of her.

In a rare display of public emotion, Sylvia let out a long, slow whistle, a grin on her face. "The hell did you do to him?"

"I helped!" grinned Justin as he swayed his hips to the beat, giving Fred a sultry glance as he did so. "Believe me, between the two of us—"

"—you can do anything," finished Fred, who split his attention from their object of attention and Justin's flirty motions.  Fred then stood, making a decision by dragging Justin to the dance floor and into the middle of the mass of teenagers.

Nico merely blinked once, looked up, and asked, "Can I hug you?" And he unabashedly did so, rubbing up against strong, exposed muscles and letting his fingers trail over delightful skin.  Breaking away, he then hugged Alyssa close to him, burying his face into her neck.

Alyssa discreetly wiped a small trickle of blood from her nose.

Kayla grinned devilishly, slapping a hand on the back of her handiwork as she stepped back to admire. "Sylvia, half-lesbian as I may be, I have to say that this is hot."

"Definitely," murmured her girlfriend reverently as she reverted to her quiet manners, though her gaze intense.

The look on Jace's face was priceless as he took in the comments and actions of his fellow Rangers. "I'm going to see if Phil needs any help." His voice raised an octave and shattered as Jace fled from the group, resulting in amused snickers.

Kayla hugged Sylvia from behind, planting a kiss on her neck. "I think we should follow Justin and Fred's lead.  C'mon!"

Smiling softly, the two girls followed their friends into the flashing lights and dancing bodies.

"Mhm," smiled Nico into Alyssa's shoulder. "I hope you didn't mind the show.  You know I'm mostly straight, right?"

"Mind?" half-laughed the Indigo Ranger. "By the Power, did you know how hot that was?" She turned and grinned down at him. "Wanna try kissing Justin next?"

"If Fred wouldn't kill me for it," laughed Nico, smiling widely. "C'mon, let's follow!"

The two Rangers of Spirit joined the other Light Elementalist Rangers on the dance floor, moving to the beat without a care in the world.  Vivemus only admitted those under nineteen, after which they'd have to go to Viveamus, the sister club, which was much bigger, having the same night club feel on one side and the other side being more like the Angel Grove Youth Center.  But the paradoxical innocence meshed with flirtation was something that no other place could replicate.

Justin, in particular, didn't want to waste his time.  Vivemus felt... safe, the same way that the Youth Center had felt safe.  It was a place to hang out for fun, and it easily beat out most of the other places—and it was the safest.

So he danced and danced, spiraling around Fred and rubbing against him, heedless of anything else.  Phil's open acceptance policy curbed any inhibitions, and he kissed Fred on the neck as he passed.  The worries of the world simply disappeared when he was lost to the music, lost to the beat.

He danced until he felt the world bleed away from him.

Literally.

Justin's reactions were on par with his usual—that is, near instantly.

He charged the first Orange spell he could, pushing the magic until all he had to do was release it.  He kept it on a mental hair-trigger, however, as he took in his surroundings.

Fred stood next to him, his body coiled tightly and giving off sparks from a Gold spell held back.  Alyssa and Nico were several yards away, twin souls of water and ice curling around their frames in unity.  Kayla's hair whipped around as she called upon her Silver spell, and Sylvia stood a couple paces away, her posture firm.  Farthest was Jace, the Aqua Protection spell from Blue Magic surrounding him in the same way as the glow of Aqua Magic did his hands.

"Peace be, we mean you no harm!"

Justin didn't relax, and the sheer shock in Jace's posture heightened his anxiety.

"Aquael?" choked out Jace. "Is that you?"

Justin's battle-readiness gave way to his shock.  Aquael, the creator of the entirety of Aqua Magic, who ascended to deity status upon his death—he was here?  And if he was...

Eight glowing lights surrounded the seven Rangers, spiraling around them in a dance of lights before coalescing in their midst.

"Igniael," breathed out Justin, taking sight of the man who had phoenix wings sprouting from his back, "the Originator of Orange Magic."

"Aquael, master of the Aqua Magic," gasped Nico, shocked by the appearance of the dolphin-man.

"Gold Magic's Originator, Fulgorael," named Fred, the humanoid lion giving him a fierce grin.

The woman with eagle wings nodded at Kayla as she whispered, "Ventael, the creator of Silver Magic."

"Brown Magic's Terrael too," whispered Sylvia softly at the woman with an antelope's lower half and a human torso.

Alyssa kept a hand to her mouth as she said, "The Originator of Indigo Magic, Geluael," and beheld the scarred woman with a bear's claws.

"Neroae of the Blue Magic," Jace nodded towards the woman with a seal's tattoo sprawling across her body.

"And last, but definitely not least," Justin looked up at the shining figure with six white wings and said, "Luxael of the White Magic."

"You are well learned." A small smile crossed Luxael's face. "Few care for our names any longer."

"We are the Rangers of the Color Magics," shrugged Alyssa delicately. "It would do us no good to not know your names."

Luxael tipped his head in acknowledgement.

"So," began Justin, stepping up as the leader, "what brings eight Originators of the Color Magics to us?"

"We haven't called on you yet," added Sylvia quietly.

Jace sheepishly raised his hand. "Brady often used Igniael as a threat against the Shadow Elementalists—and I almost summoned them several times when I fought alone."

"You were really close to summoning six of them after the Shadow Elementalist," Justin began to recall but faltered.

"Yeah," softly finished Jace.  Clearing his throat, he instead called out, "What is it that you wish of us, Originators of the Color Magics?"

Luxael floated down to the ground as the eight Originators gathered.  The hard-set face of the White Magic Originator looked grimly at them as he sighed and steepled his fingers. "We have come to tell you the truth of what became the Elementalist War.  The truth, the unvarnished truth—because it's a war which should never have been, if not for our stupidity."

**OoOoO**

Millennia upon millennia ago, the Color Magics did not exist.  Harnessing an existing power, however, three Mage Lords developed what would come to be known as the original Color Magics.

As pure light shone endlessly, piercing past all else, Luxael took the Star of Light and the Glowing Shine and carved out his ideals.  Light was relentless and unyielding, and so Luxael made his magic the same.  Nothing could escape the White Magic's reach.

In the unbreachable darkness, Aktulim set tricks and traps made out of the Sealing Eclipse and the Hexagon of Dark.  None could see into Aktulim's world, leaving all at her mercy.  The Black Magic sealed its foes away in eternity.

Skiae found power in the shadows and molded them into his magic, strengthening himself beyond his limits with the Circle of Shadow and the Overcast Cloud.  Fog and clouds carried him in their embrace, shielding him and granting him strength.  The Gray Magic empowered all who used it.

Though the three had always trained together, their differences in opinion as to best how to fight a battle split them in their creation of the magics.  The White Magic would always strike true and fast, never faltering in their spells' conviction.  The Black Magic would instead prefer to wait, traps and delayed reactions weakening the foe while attack spells which were never what they seemed finished the job.  The Gray Magic specialized in defensive and augmentative spells, preferring to aid the user's natural skills by either increasing his own abilities or lowering those of his foes.

One thing the three could agree on, however, was their targeting system: allies would pass through detrimental spells unharmed, while enemies would never be aided by their healing spells.

Using each of the six elements in that existing power, the three initial Originators took apprentices who developed their own magics with their teacher's views in mind.

Igniael took the Burning Fire and bent it to his will.  Fire, which consumed all that fed it, came under his control in the form of a phoenix, who, blazing bright in the sky, heralded the dawn of fire. The Orange Magic was his to light the way into the future.

The water which ran across the rivers of the world came under the command of Aquael, who gathered this current and this strength and made it his own under the Flowing Water.  From the simplest stream to the deep ocean, the dolphin ruled over it all, swimming majestically around any obstacle in its path. Even as it healed, his Aqua Magic would never let those who faced it forget the power beneath the placid surface.

The mysteries of the wind and all that it entailed were unraveled by Ventael, who took it as the Blowing Air and taught it to those who asked. Riding the currents that encased the world, the eagle watched over that occurred below it with its unerring eye. The Silver Magic encompassed all in its embrace.

As lightning flitted across the clouds, hurling its power down on the world in an awe-inspiring flash, so too did Fulgorael do with his magic as he harnessed the Dancing Lightning in his hands.  The lion stalked its prey, striking fast and swift the moment it sensed weakness, bringing down foes in an instant. None could see the Gold Magic until it had already claimed them.

Terrael knew that, though the earth was a steady force beneath her, it held the potential to wreak havoc as it moved, and so she brought the Shifting Earth as her element. Galloping over the vast savannah with its freedom and endless sky, the antelope was a sight to behold as it barreled across time. All could depend on the Brown Magic's steady influence.

Few could boast of surviving the coldest of colds, but Geluael took her trials and turned it into her magic as the Freezing Ice.  The bear she took as her symbol raced across the tundra and, even as it protected its cubs, could maul a foe without pause.  Those who faced the Indigo Magic never forgot its righteous fury.

The Light Elements of the Star.

Agnilim watched as the smallest of sparks could turn into a mighty inferno, and so from that he drew the Flaring Blaze.  Only swooping when the moment was right, the firebird struck back only after attention was taken off of it. All those who tangled with the Crimson Magic never forgot to look for the embers in the brush, lest it claim them in the wildfire.

Having fallen victim himself, Aplim knew that even the rapids still had their tricks, and so he drew the Thrashing Torrent from the way the rivers had their dangers both above and below.  There was never just one threat from his shark hunting in the ocean, as even as it charged headfirst, it might just be attacking from the back.  The Navy Magic taught its practitioners that there was never just way one of attacking.

Appearing and disappearing as a sonic boom, Vayulim learned from the invisible destruction that the winds wrought and took it as the Flying Gust.  The hawk would take its foe in the blink of the eye and nary a sound until it was already gone, leaving nothing its wake.  Few who fought against the Steel Magic would know what befell them as they were cut down.

Calalim knew that even the tiniest break could ruin an entire machine, so he based the Racing Shock around the little jolt that would find those weaknesses for him.  As a tiger would stalk its foe for the barest of weaknesses and then strike when found, so too did his magic as it ran across the land and air.  The Amber Magic shut down its foes and left then unable to fight back.

As Prithvilim learned the hard way, even the smallest of cracks could cause a foundation to crumble with enough pressure, and so she took the inspiration for the Shaking Ground.  Her ram would size up her foe across the field and then attack its smallest weaknesses until they shattered into the bigger ones.  In the face of the Jade Magic, there was no such thing as the perfect defense.

The most dangerous aspect of the cold was the way that it could seep deep and slowly seal away the senses with its target unaware, and so Himalim harnessed this power in the Chilling Frost.  Hidden by the frozen winds, the mammoth would stalk its prey until it was weakened and then strike with a single blow to end it.  Those few who survived the Violet Magic would forever remember the siphoning of their senses into nothingness.

The Dark Elements of the Hexagon.

Even as lava plumes and pyroclastic flows annihilated his village, Photiae continued to be enthralled by the might of the volcano as it revitalized the land around it with its ash, and so he built his magic in the Volcano Eruption.  His dragon drew strength from magma that seared all who came close and protection from the heat which would never harm it.  The Red Magic was never to be fought in close-quarters, too wary its foes were of the heat that could erupt at any moment.

As it shaped the land bit by bit and returned all structures to zero, Neroae gathered the forces of the Ocean Tsunami and made it her own.  The seal followed the currents as they twisted and turned, protected by their force.  The Blue Magic became known for its unrelenting defense and miraculous healing.

The open air was her domain, but Aerae knew that that very openness meant that there was nowhere to hide when the winds came, and so she gathered the Plains Tornado as her element.  The falcon rode those very winds that were buffeting its prey to reach them before they could flee.  None could outrun the Pink Magic as it surged relentlessly toward them.

Astrapiae based her element on the Sky Storm because, while she knew that lightning rarely damaged anything directly, it could light the night at an inopportune moment or spark a wildfire in the midst of a dense forest.  The panther created that flash for itself with its own abilities, speeding its pounce while distracting its enemy.  The Yellow Magic's foes fell from but a touch aided by so much.

Knowing that the earth eventually reclaimed all, Giae sculpted the Fissure Quake out of that very earth and made it last.  His deer learned to destabilize with every step while surefooted in its own power.  Those who used the Green Magic took the stability within and weathered even the toughest storm.

Having seen many fall victim to the icy winds and blinding snow, Pagostae emulated the same in the Mountain Blizzard.  The all-encompassing white was the perfect cover for the ox as it drew strength from the cold and used it to shatter its foes.  Victims of the Purple Magic would stay lost until the user found them.

The Shadow Elements of the Circle.

The magics developed mightily as time passed, eventually coming to be called the Color Magics from the colors which always appeared at such a casting, with the original Elementalist Magic name falling into disuse.  The Originators gained many followers to their practices, but the schools remained distant from each other—a student of Silver Magic could receive rudimentary instruction in Aqua Magic if he was so inclined, but no master of either the Pink or Steel Magics would ever take him as an apprentice.  Brought on by the growing rift between the first three Originators, the schools themselves grew distant from each other, never exchanging ideas, with only independents from the main schools working together.

A group of fallen Rangers, headed by their Grid Master, the Defiler Sorcerer of Orionis, attempted to take over the segregated schools, located on different planets.  Each of the attempts was thwarted by the Originators, and the Grid Master grew incensed.  Using his influence, he discovered the home world the first three Originators shared.

Gathering his followers, he tried to lay waste to the world.  But it was protected by a powerful force—the same force from which the Color Magics were derived.  However, the Defiler Sorcerer hadn't gained his notoriety for his stupidity.  Using his mystical talents, he managed to learn how to harness the power, and he broke the protections which blanketed the planet.

The three original Originators gathered together with their students, the other Color Magic Originators, to rebuff the foe.  However, distance caused the three formerly close friends to argue, and plans were thrown out as soon as they could be created.

Eventually, the differences between the three groups exploded.  Those who drew from the Star of Light fought against the Hexagon of Dark's followers.  Amidst the in-fighting, only the Originators from the Shadow Circle remembered their true purpose.

The seven Originators ran a suicide mission into their foe's main complex.  They managed to take out a fair amount, causing the deaths of numerous minions as well as the Pink Ranger under the Defiler Sorcerer's command, but, coming to face to face with the Grid Master himself, they faltered.

So powerful was he that he slaughtered them, Photiae falling first, impaled on a sword of shadows.  Astrapiae and Pagostae were ripped the shreds by winds akin to a tornado, and Aerae and Giae were instantly vaporized by a particularly horrible spell drawing upon atomic bonds.  Neroae fought hard, but she eventually fell defending her teacher from a summoned dragon.

Skiae entered a duel with the Grid Master of Evil, but his body was not as young as it used to be—his race were long-lived, but Skiae was already out of his prime by the time he'd created the Gray Magic.  At his age, it was only augmentative spells which managed to keep him going at the same pace of his youth, but the battle could only end in one way.  Amidst the many blows traded, he eventually was too slow to dodge a spell, and his side was cut open.  One spell later, and the Originator of the Gray Magic passed.

But the Evil Grid Master was not satisfied.  He instead bound the six souls of the Shadow Circle into gemstones, leaving the seventh cast so far away spiritually that only the six could unlock it from its prison—and then six of his generals wielded those very same gemstones against their opponents—becoming the first Shadow Elementalist Rangers.

Instead of unifying the Star and Hexagon, however, the fighting intensified, each blaming the other side for their loss.  And, divided as they were, they were quickly routed—Himalim and Geluael were ruthlessly killed by the Red Eruption Ranger, and, though he in turn was killed by Aquael, the Aqua Magic Originator died doing so.  Prithvilim, Calalim, Ventael, and Terrael were ambushed and killed by what remained of their opponent's original Rangers and their subordinates, though they managed to return the favor before falling.  Igniael and Vayulim fell to the combined might of the Pink Tornado and Purple Blizzard Rangers, but the latter was destroyed by Luxael and the former by Aktulim separately.  Agnilim and Aplim worked together to defeat the Green Quake and Yellow Storm Rangers, but they were drained enough to be killed by the Blue Tsunami Ranger.  The remaining Shadow Elementalist Ranger was then slayed by Fulgorael, who sustained significant wounds in the battle and eventually passed before aid could come.

Luxael and Aktulim confronted the Defiler Sorcerer, but his might eclipsed theirs.  It didn't help that the two remained at odds with each other, sometimes breaking the other's line of attack.

Luxael was killed when the Defiler Sorcerer thrust a hand straight through his chest, piercing the heart and ending his life.  Aktulim took the time to cast one final spell before the Defiler Sorcerer killed her, six conjured swords piercing her six limbs before the seventh plunged through her head.

The Defiler Sorcerer laughed as he then created the Light and Dark Elementalist Powers, binding the souls of the fallen Originators into gemstones and metals.

It was just as he was about to move to wipe out the population of the planet that Aktulim's final spell impaled him on claws which rose out of the ground.  As he lay dying, his followers too far to even help, he laid one last curse onto the spirits of those who fought him.

The Light and the Dark would forever fight each other, and the Shadow would be forced into the battle.

And then the Evil Grid Master died, and the Elementalist Powers were scattered across galaxies by the Defiler Sorcerer's final breath.

**OoOoO**

"And that's the origins of the Elementalist War," commented Fulgorael, his body shuddering.

"Each successive incarnation of the war grew worse, until the Treaty was formed in the ruins of what once was a bountiful world." Ventael lowered her gaze. "It was still bad—the Powers had to choose among souls it could become attuned to."

"Jace is lucky in that he was both fit for the Blue Tsunami and Aqua Water Powers," added Neroae. "Finding even two teams among a world's population is difficult—but nearly four?  Your world is rare."

"The question is," Justin stepped forward, "what we are to do.  We want to end this war—this one has been tough, extremely tough."

"And it has lasted longer than any pervious." Geluael took a step back, her body shuddering. "Most end bloodily after six months; the fact that this has gone on for years is a testament to both of your strengths."

"But you're the strongest souls we've come across in centuries." Igniael looked into the eyes of each of the assembled Rangers. "We trust you.  We want you to do what those before you were unable to do."

"Please stop the Elementalist War.  Forever."

The seven Rangers looked at each other before Justin spoke up.

"How do we?"

It was time for the Originators themselves to be surprised.

"How—?"

"It's something we've been contemplating ever since the dimensional incidents," explained Sylvia quietly. "They sought to remove us from the world altogether, without even the Power to aid us.  If it hadn't been for some of their Champions, we would not be here."

Nico turned away from the gathered group, tears in his eyes. "The time warp incidents were pretty bad as well, especially the conditions to break them."

"And the many evil leaders we killed," whispered Fred softly, staring at Justin as he did so.

"The homunculi," answered Jace darkly.

"As you can see, we all wish for this to end." Kayla gestured in a wide sweeping motion. "We thought about locking away the morphers, but that wouldn't end it."

"None of us are willing to use the magic required to sever the link to the Power from morphers as strong as these," whispered Alyssa. "We simply don't know what to do."

There was a troubled look on Luxael's face, but he only paused to comment, "So, you agree?"

"We will do anything save sacrifice innocents to end the War," resolutely agreed Justin.

And there was a soft, if pained smile, only every one of the Originators' faces at the declaration.

"That is all we wanted to say.  We will send you back now." Luxael paused and said seriously, "Call on us if you need us."

Justin didn't miss the implied promise.

"We will."

And then he closed his eyes.   When he opened them, he was back in Vivemus—but he didn't feel the beat anymore, couldn't lose himself in the flow.  Drifting off to the side, Fred beside him, he instead turned and said, "I think I'm going to go home."

"Do you want me to go with you?"

The quiet question was so filled with... love that Justin could only nod.

The pair slipped out of Vivemus, returning to the warming Boston day.  Outside in the sunlight, Justin and Fred kept an amicable distance between them as they returned to Justin's place, though they occasionally let their fingers entwine.  Once inside the house, Justin plopped onto the couch, and he looked beseechingly at Fred.  Smiling softly, he sat next to him, and he willingly let Justin snuggle into his side.

This was the position in which Doug Stewart found the two boys, hours later, after coming home from an errand.  The utter peace they found in each other's embrace—it brought a small smile to his face.

"Rest well, my boys."

**OoOoO**

"There have been so many Elementalist Rangers throughout the years."

In an attempt to make sense of the bombshell dropped onto them, the seven Elementalist Rangers delved into the history books located in the Control Base's library.  They'd come up with many different texts detailing the events of past wars, and, as they paged through them, they found one recurring trend.

"They get bloodier as they go on," Alyssa said softly, her eyes watering. "The death toll in the wars increased nearly exponentially... up until Mirinai was rendered uninhabitable due to pollutive magics." She looked up at stared at her fellow Rangers. "That was a millennium ago.  Mirinai hasn't been declared habitable for any being yet...  Its sister planet, Mirinoi, was protected by the power of the Galactabeasts, though most the planet's population was wiped out and the remnants had regressed to a hunter-gatherer society."

"Then the Green and the Silver Rangers hashed out the Elementalist Treaty," finished Fred. "After that, well, death toll remained limited to what agents of Good and Evil fielded on either side.  But a full Elementalist Team had not survived the war... ever."

"Truth be told, we haven't either," Jace smiled self-deprecatingly.  Even after all the time, Justin knew that Jace still suffered for the deaths of the predecessors to the current team—and the fact that the Shadow Elementalist Rangers consisted of more of his former friends.  It had hurt him in ways Justin couldn't understand, though the teenager was trying to advance.

Justin sucked in a breath as he traced over the names of all those who had held his powers before.  Sometimes, he thought he could hear the voices of those people—the Good ones, at least—who had died while wielding the Orange Fire Power, and those who had lived through their respective wars.  Everyone had left their imprint on the morpher, had blessed it with their strength—had bled on it too.  In the darkest of days, he wondered what they'd think of him, he who had given so much, who had defiled himself for the protection of Earth...  He wondered if they thought it was worth it in the end.

If they'd still accept him once he too fell.

Shivering, Justin turned back to the names, and he felt Fred's presence next to him.  Looking up, he saw an indulgent smile on his boyfriend's face as the Gold Spellcaster observed their friends.  With his own gaze, Justin saw how Nico and Alyssa were moving around each other as they pulled out and put back different books—they spun and laughed and twisted and were so totally in sync that Justin could only smile.  Sylvia and Kayla, though subdued by the weight of their revelations, continued to hold hands as they paged through the books, their fingers entwined.

Jace glanced over at Justin and give him his own smile.

"They remind me a bit of my friends," he said wistfully, his voice quiet. "They're not the same, but I'd like to think that they...  That they'd be the same."

"Can you...  Can you tell me about them?" he asked.  He knew some things, from his time in another world (he'd already offered to tell Jace, who'd declined until he'd been up to it), but they had already been changed—he needed to know these people.  And Jace looked like he had things to say.

"Adriana was like a cooler version of Kayla," Jace began, and he quickly gained an audience. "She was much calmer, cooler than you were, but she could still stir up those same flames of anger you readily wield." He closed his eyes and smiled sadly in remembrance. "Adriana was very smart too.  Not as smart as you, Justin," he said while tossing a look at him, "but still smart.  She was very handy with technology." Jace sucked in a breath and wiped a tear from his eye. "She...  She was a very strong girl—had to be, after her mother left them when she was young.  But, beneath the cold, she was a very caring girl."

"Lina was much rougher around the edges.  She was quick to anger and slow to cool—much different than you, Fred.  She readily wielded sarcasm against everyone who dared cross her, and she also teased with it.  Her parents were very much in love, but they couldn't agree on _anything_ and had broken up and gotten together more times than I can count, so she lived with her uncle." Jace then gave a sharp laugh. "She was one of the most protective people I knew though.  She was actually the first one of what made up the second group of Elementalist Rangers I met—her defending me from a bully.  We were close."

Jace then took in a shuddering breath. "Alex was...  He was my brother, even before our parents married.  He suited Earth well; he was as protective as Lina, and much more firm about it.  But he could move so gracefully, so deftly, you wouldn't imagine a stubborn streak which matched Alyssa's," he grinned at the Indigo Ranger as she huffed, and then gave the same one to Sylvia. "He wasn't as composed as you are, Sylvia, but he was self-assured without being egotistical.  He had a natural presence, both on and off the dance floor."

There was a far-off look in Jace's eyes as he continued. "Cassy was...  She was shy, almost as much as I was, but when you get past that—she was a firebrand." He tossed another grin at Alyssa. "You remind me a lot of her, Alyssa, though she wasn't nearly as perky as you.  She hid herself from people a lot, but she always burned brightly in that way which made her precious, you know?  And she had one of the most beautiful voices in the world; it was almost like an angel's chorus when she sang."

Jace took in another deep breath as he continued. "Lan was the protector.  He always was at the head, always sheltering those weaker than he was.  He was soft to few, a raging tsunami," the Blue Ranger smirked at the unintentional pun, "at the rest.  He was always struggling to find a happy medium between his anger and his kindness, but he knew that there was more to be had, and he fought for that balance as best he could."

"Amanda was...  She was hot-headed as they came, diving headfirst into the situation and not stopping until someone bailed her out.  She had to learn to stop sometimes, but...  God, she acted on her emotions, and they always led her true.  She never questioned her heart, and even the adults recognized that her ability to do that was something which could only be a boon once she found control." Jace smiled softly. "Despite all the hare-brained scuffles we got into when we were kids, we knew she could be counted upon."

"Kyle..." Jace paused, his eyes shuttering. "He was so painfully shy that he even beat me out.  His family...  He could never live up to their expectations, no matter how much he shined for us, you know?  He had the lowest self-confidence out of all of us, but he was one of the most talented people at poetry that I have ever had the grace of meeting, even at our extremely young age.  I would often draw what I felt after he wrote, and he would gain inspiration from my writing.  We...  We were very close."

Jace then started laughing. "Lisa...  If you combined Justin's core of fire and intelligence with Nico's ability to encompass everyone around him with warmth and jokes, you have her down in spades.  She could...  God, she was so smart, but she could rush ahead into a situation, take it in at a glance, and then somehow defuse it with bouts of humor.  And she sometimes failed and got into the worst scrapes imaginable, but—she cared, and you couldn't doubt that."

"Jake was a jokester, more so than Lisa or even you Nico," he smiled. "He was always the one joking, teasing, laughing—he pretty much lived to see other people smile.  He was always the best at that, at helping other people to feel better, even to the point of making himself the fool." Jace closed his eyes, a soft smile flittering across his face again. "He was...  He was laughter."

"Christie reminded me a lot of you, Justin—" Jace looked directly at the leader. "She always had a bit of darkness in her eyes, hard not to when her mother was killed and her father nearly fatally injured.  But she was a strong girl, and she worked with her darkness and made it beneath her; she couldn't get rid of it, but it didn't rule her life.  The effort turned her a bit cold, but she always protected people from the shadows and stepped up when she need to." He looked at Fred sideways. "In that, she's a lot like you, Fred."

"Jason...  God, Jason was the strongest of us all." Jace started to laugh wildly, and then tears started streaming down his eyes. "He reminded me of the person that you, Fred, could've been, if we hadn't been turned so dark 'cause of the Elementalist War.  He was strong, so strong, shining brightly and leading everyone else.  We all followed him, even Lan, even Christie...  He kept us all together." Jace wrapped his arms around himself as he took in a deep, shuddering breath. "Jason disappeared a couple years back—not long afterward, the Shadow Elementalist Rangers were taken, though we didn't know it at the time.  Melissa had been the first of the original Rangers to fall—and Adriana was chosen to replace her.  Alex followed her, and then Cassy did as well.  Lina was chosen maybe a month after that; me, two weeks past her." The tears didn't abate, despite Jace's attempts at control. "I... don't know much about the original Rangers, save for their journals.  But—all I know is that...  They were good people, all of them."

Justin was at Jace's side instantly, knowing that revealing everything about who had been his best friends—all of them dead, save maybe Jason—had taken its toll on the now teenager.  He felt the support of the other Elementalist Rangers around him, and he felt Jace soften in his arms.

They would—they would protect Jace, as he had protected them, because they were teammates—friends—and they always took care of their own.

**OoOoO**

The dim light of morning found Justin dressed in shorts and a muscle tank top as he pounded the pavement, navigating the darkened streets of Boston by pure familiarity.  He took the same, zigzagging route which took him past many of the minor nexuses, which he checked quickly for problems.  Finding none, he continued his run through the city, his pace even and firm, until he was joined by Kayla and Sylvia.  The three of them continued the pace as they passed shops which they've seen ever since the ritual began.  Jace and Fred appeared soon afterward, with Alyssa and Nico following until they were nearly flushed from exertion—and then the magic began.

Funneling magic in their legs, each of them took to the rooftops, moving at speeds which would blur the normal eye.  They hopped from building to building, and Justin finally let exhilaration fill him.  Calculating the exact amount necessary to reach the next building, gauging the jumps—it was all instinctual at this point, after having practiced it ever since they learned how to funnel magical energy to enhance their body's strength.  The main problem at their speed was that an incorrectly timed jump could collapse a roof by the amount of magical force being exerted on it—not that it had happened before, as they'd practiced on rocky terrain long before they'd begun on roofs, but there had been many shattered rocks left in their wake.

Justin hadn't felt this content in a long time, moving with his friends around him, keeping in shape both physically and magically...  He was at peace in the silence.

The calm was shattered when Justin felt magic build up at the park.  He cursed when the major nexus began to react to the magic, and, halting, he slid down into an alleyway, his team behind him.

"I think they're finally trying to convert the park."

Jace cocked his head to the side, and there was a dangerous light in his eyes. "Well then, we can't let that happen, can we?"

There were no words to be said as they morphed and warped away.

When they rematerialized, Fred was instantly in front of Justin, blocking Yellow's tonfa with his chakrams.  Purple's ice trail slicked the ground, but Justin's fire spell melted the ice before it could do more than frost the grass, and Alyssa and Nico dived into her, intending to finally take her down as Purple blocked Alyssa's high kick only to fall prey to Nico's sweep.

Justin raised his sword as Red scythed down from mid-air, and he met the attack at an angle, sliding their blades harmlessly to the side.  His knee rose in retaliation, and he hit Red directly in the stomach, causing the Ranger to falter and lose his grip on the katana.  Switching into a two-handed grip, he used his sword like a baseball bat and swung into the same spot with might fueled by all the strength, magic, and qi he could put into the strike, an audible crack echoing once he connected.

Red stumbled back, holding his stomach, and Justin intended to follow when Sylvia was knocked into his line of attack, and he had to abruptly change directions to avoid crashing into her.  But it was enough to let Green to kneel beside Red and begin a combination of sorcery and Green Magic to heal him.

Justin could do nothing to break the spells mid-casting, but he knew who could.

"Sorcery!" he shouted to Alyssa and Nico as he dived in front of Purple, who had spelled ice armor onto herself, and took a hit meant for the Aqua Ranger.  The two, aided by Jace, immediately went to deal with Green, while Justin recovered from the attack in time to wreath his sword in flames and perform a rising slash to cut deep into the icy defenses.  Purple staggered, nearly falling to her knees, but an ice wall appeared in front of him before he could press the attack.  He knew that it was only a moment's defense—it wasn't strong, and both of them knew it.  But it accomplished its purpose as Justin summoned his special technique, fire blossoming along his sword. "Fire Passing!" Executing the maneuver automatically took him through the wall—though it collapsed the barricade behind him, he needed the pass-through effects of the technique rather than the actual damage.  By this time, Purple had nearly recovered, and, for a moment, she raised her head to look at him.

An understanding passed between the two Ranger leaders, and, when Purple stood, she slashed at the air with her claws, calling, "Blizzard Star!"

Justin forced himself to the side as the icy star flew at him, spiraling qi blasts around him the star split into five jagged icicles and attempted to impale him.  Surrounding himself with an aura of fire from Red Magic, the rebound of the splinters of the failed attack melted into water as Justin forced himself to go past the spells of Orange Magic and into the other disciplines he worked with.

Purple lashed out with tendrils of ice, coupling it with lightning, but Justin increased the heat of his aura until the ice melted the moment it went into range, scorching the grass beneath him.  For the second, Justin tossed a barrier up, deflecting the lightning away from him.  He launched a burst of pure power in retaliation—the air shimmered with it.

Purple ducked beneath the concussive wave, but Justin reached her, and his sword slashed up her chest when her reactions were just a little too slow.  Sparks flew as he spun into a kick, and the opposing Ranger was knocked back even further by the thrust.  Purple recovered in mid-air, however, and created an ice slide beneath her which spun around him faster than he could turn.  A powerful blow made him stagger as he felt his back give a cry of pain.  The next hit came from the side, but Justin used his telekinesis to change his body's orientation so that he could use magic to bounce back to his feet.

He blocked savage swipes, sidestepping a stray Tornado Bombardment and letting Pink's tornados slam into Purple.  Shifting his grip, Justin swung his sword in a combo which further knocked the wind out of Purple.

Justin set the pace for the rest of the battle, letting all of his hope fuel his strikes.  The War needed to end, and he wanted to see it through.  Part of it would involve forcing the Dark Elementalist Rangers into appearing in battle—and that would mean defeating the Shadow Elementalist Rangers.

But, it was more than that.

He wanted to see the souls of his fellow Rangers free.  He wanted to bring them into the Morphing Grid, where all of the souls of Rangers rested after death.  he wanted to free them all of their torment, of their abuse.

He was just... tired of seeing them suffer.

When Purple smashed into the ground, her body bouncing once before coming to a stop, Justin was panting from the exertion.  Though he had controlled the battle from the start, it had taken all of prowess to firmly keep it in grasp, dispelling buffs and debuffs whenever he could.

"Do you admit defeat?" he asked quietly.

There was a weary defiance in Purple's posture as she replied, "No.  I will not fall.  Not while I'm still tied here." She then paused, cocking her head to the side. "Why do you fight?  I fight for my masters, but you do not have such constraints.  Why do you fight this battle, this war?"

"I fight to protect the Earth," Justin said softly. "I fight to protect the innocent."

But the words were as hollow as they could be.

Because Justin knew that they weren't the true reason.

The true reason why, every day, he still picked up his sword.

And the Purple Ranger seemed to pick up on this as she shifted her stance and asked directly, "That's not the real reason, is it?  I know you, Ranger, far more than you think.  You have the darkness inside of you, don't you?  The darkness of hate, rage, anger—It all dwells inside, doesn't it?"

"No," he whispered, as his sword grip loosened. "The darkness... isn't here."

"No, it isn't, is it?" Purple took a step back, and, by mutual assent, even as ten Rangers clashed around them, they relaxed their stances. "The darkness...  You battled it back, didn't you?  It holds less of a sway on you than it ever has."

"Much like the soul you stole did," Justin replied softly. "We both mastered the darkness in our hearts." Justin took another step back, allowing a Storm Illusion, the Yellow Ranger's special attack, to pass by without disturbing him. "We accept it and master it, rather than just hold it at bay.  That's what makes us strong—what makes _you_ strong, isn't it?"

Purple didn't comment, only pausing to gaze around them. "I came to care for my team," she said quietly, and it was such a non-sequitur that Justin was completely blindsided by the comment. "When you took Blue from us, I tried my best not to show how much it hurt, how in pain I was." The mask rose. "I beat back that darkness inside of me, and instead I poured my motivation into protecting what remains of my team."

"Any true leader does that."

"Yeah," and, strangely enough, Purple seemed to give him a soft smile. "So, what keeps your void at bay?" At Justin's shocked look, Purple continued, "What keeps the nothingness from eating away at you, when the darkness is beat back, is forced into submission?" When Justin flinched, she pressed onward, "I know what it's like, to feel completely empty and tremble in pain.  I know what it's like, and I know how I dealt with it." Purple took a non-threatening step forward. "What keeps you from falling and never coming back?  What continues to drive you when you've lost everything?"

She kept pushing and pushing, and Justin felt bile rise in his throat because he couldn't answer those questions, couldn't stop the words from resounding in the void edged with the darkness he tried so desperately to fight...

"What stops you from turning dark yourself?"

The question stopped Justin cold.

Because that was the one question he could answer.

Images flashed through his mind—Zordon's face, smiling down at him, **trusting** him—TJ, Carlos, Cassie, Ashley, and him, posing with Dimitria and Alpha 6 in the Power Chamber—watching Brady and Adriana and Cassy and Alex and Lina fade away before his eyes—holding Jace as he was dying—seeing the tears in the eyes of Lan and Lance as they gave up their body—Alyssa's cheerful face—Nico's warm laughter—Sylvia's comforting presence—Kayla's steely reassurance—Jace's subtle warmth—Fred's unconditional love.

Fred's eyes flashing with humor.

Fred's body wrapped around his.

Fred.

"My team...  My love for my team is what keeps me up."

Justin had found his answer.

And he let his answer light the fire inside of him which had so long been dead.  All of the pain, fear, anger of the past seemed to disappear with his realization, and the void was filled with the blazing pyre of his conviction.

Justin looked directly at Purple as he stated clearly, "It's my love for my team, my love for all of them, even those who could have been, which will keep me from falling and destroy the void."

Purple only turned away, and... he thought he could hear sadness in her voice when she stated, "I understand.  The nexus's energy's being converted into a magic circle.  I'm pretty sure you know to do."

And he did.

And he also thought that Lan was wrong when he said that the other homunculi could only obey the Dark Elementalist Rangers.

Because there was so clearly something in the Purple Blizzard Ranger which let him walk forward, right into the center of the circle, and expel his magic.  The nexus beneath him responded to his call, pulsating and resonating with his magic.  The corruption begun by the Shadow Elementalist Rangers easily fell to the true might of the nexus as nudged by his own power, and the energies swelled around him.

He began to sway with a beat only he could hear.  He could feel the pulsations as they soared, each one with an even tempo.  His head snapped back as their power coursed through him, lifting him off of the ground.  The nexus was under _his_ control now, and he felt like he could do anything.  All of that insurmountable power was at his fingers, ready to bend to his will...

And then he cut himself off.

Strong spellcaster as he may be...  It was too much power at the moment.  He couldn't trust himself with it, not yet.

**"To me,"** he whispered in a floating voice as he struggled to keep himself conscious in his magic. **"Help me..."**

**"We come."**

Justin felt each of his friends gather around him.  They fed their power into his, and he was kept grounded from the pure force which threatened to overwhelm him.  And it allowed him to work his magic.

The pun notwithstanding.

Before him, three sigils appeared, as he began the strongest purification spell he knew.  This one required sacred ground—but what was more sacred than a pure, undefiled nexus?

Strands of bright light began to break the ground, wisps of white rising and encircling each of the homunculi Rangers.  The air was filled with sparkles of bright light as they spiraled around the amassed Rangers, circling back and forth and filling the area with warmth.  He chanted his preparations, calling back and forth the words which would set up the spell.  He had to rely on his retrocognition—the ability to remember the past functioned as photographic memory for him—to do it, but when it was done, he could get on to the last part, the activation.

"I pray to Helian, the God of the Sun, to bless this spell with his divine light." The first of the sigils shined brightly, intricate lines filling with power.  It took a few moments for the sigil to finish, and Justin nearly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Come forth to wash away the taint on the land by the purity of the water, O Goddess of the Sea, Nepthitus, and render all the sins wrought upon these victims naught." The second sigil shimmered faintly with the color of deep turquoise, and Justin had to grit his teeth as his willpower strained with the effort of channeling the nexus's magic to call so strongly upon a pantheon so far away.  It wouldn't normally be a problem, the fact that the pantheon's power base was far from Earth, but it was much easier to utilize spells which invoked local beings rather than foreign ones for large-scale spells.  Justin knew, however, without a doubt that it would complete his purpose.  He'd seen it done before.

"Goddess of Nature, Demitris, with the sanctity of life, I beg you to destroy the taint of the wrongs committed.  The victims cursed by the dark will of others will be freed of what binds them, what harms them, what invades them." The final sigil tinted green, and Justin knew that the spell was almost complete.  He took another deep breath and forced himself to move, as his friends did as they continued to echo his words.

"The three Gods who hold the blessing of life, cleanse the taint from these vessels; release the bonds and locks which contain the truth.  I call on you; I beg of you—free them!"

The three sigils flashed once as he and his teammates filled them with their desperation, and he thought he could hear a faint voice whisper, "And so it shall be," as he fell back to the Earth, demorphing in midair and landing in Fred's waiting arms.  All around him, the lights sparkled and flashed and exploded as the strands encompassing his enemies wrapped them tighter and tighter until they were completely covered by them.  When a supreme flash lit the air, and Justin had to close his eyes against the glow, he could feel magic explode across his senses in a dazzling array of lights, and he quite nearly passed out from the sensations.

Shaken awake by Fred's insistent touch, he looked up at Fred's awed expression in his demorphed form and looked around.

His jaw dropped.

Ethereal manifestations of fourteen people stood around them, with five shadows fading off into the distance, and Justin realized he knew each one of the faces.

"Oh god, Alex," Jace murmured in his tears, reaching a hand out toward his brother. "Cassy, Lina, Adriana..."

"Hey bro," came the throaty voice of Alex, and there were tears in his eyes as well. "It's been so long, hasn't it?  I hope..."

"We tried not to leave you..." Cassy murmured with a soft lilt, "but..."

"There was nothing we could do." Adriana finished with quiet strength. "But you're still here."

"You should—" It was obvious Lina struggled to center herself, but she continued, "You should be happy that you're still alive, that you've been given a second chance."

"You've got to carry on our legacy," whispered Lisa quietly. "You're the only one left."

"We leave everything to you, everything we've ever owned." Amanda looked directly at him. "Live for us."

"Make sure you laugh, all right?  Laugh, dude, laugh!" Jake gave a happy grin tinged with a slight amount of sadness. "Laugh!"

"Jace, I want you to know..." Kyle fought for the words and then gave up, smiling softly instead. "Thank you."

"You've saved us in the end," Christie told Jace before turning to Justin. "You saved us all."

"Third generation, but the most powerful among us." Hikari looked upon all of them with a smile. "Sylvia, I trust you to finish the work I began.  Remember that you're not alone, that you will always have your friends around you to accept you for who you are, and will help you through your problems." Sylvia nodded once, reminded of the struggles she had with her body image.

Orion nodded toward Fred. "Dude, I'm actually kind of happy my successor is a guy.  Lina totally threw me for a loop," he continued after ducking Lina's backhand, "but you're so strong, so very strong.  Remember that there will always be someone to catch you—that you are acknowledged." Fred's eyes misted as he was reminded of the abandonment issues he'd initially had. "You're one of the strongest in a while—but don't waste what you have."

Melissa gave a delicate smirk to Kayla. "Hey girl; your fiery temper is one thing I totally approve of, especially since you can control it now.  You're one of the best people for the Silver Air Power; I'm glad that you wield them so well.  Just remember that your friends are always going to be there for you, and most secrets are secrets for a reason; don't get too hung up on them, not unless they're going to explode.  Understand?" Kayla nodded abashedly, remembering her initial distrust and sense of betrayal at most of the team.  But still she smiled.

Jade gave Alyssa a soft look. "Alyssa...  Be there for when I could not.  I trust you with the Indigo Ice Powers as much as I trusted Cassy with them.  You will do great things; I can tell.  Just—remember to give and compromise sometimes.  I know you have the heart to do it." The reference to her stubbornness made Alyssa flush, but the praise given made her smile softly.

Brady took one look at Justin and whispered, "I knew it.  You were the boy I saw." And then he smiled, widely. "You're everything the vision made you out to be and more.  I...  I knew I could trust you with the future of the Light Elementalist Rangers; I knew it.  I knew you'd be able to conquer your inner darkness, and..." Brady cocked his head to the side and stared hard. "No, everything that you've done for your team...  We've got nothing but respect.  You know what I mean." And then he stared around him, and a faint shoulder twitch turned into laughter. "Lord, did you use one of the Khmian purification spells?"

Justin unexpectedly flushed. "Um, yeah.  Helian, Nepthitus, and Demitris."

Brady threw his head back into full-blown laughter, and Jade was not far behind.

"The joke?" questioned Jace quietly.

"At less than half of the distance to here from Khmia, you'd need twenty mages to cast it," Jade explained once she calmed down. "With the Khmian spell involving those three gods, the magic streams fluctuate so wildly that only those well-versed in their magic would even think of doing it at half the distance from here to there.  To do it all the way here with only seven of you..."

"...and added to the distance," murmured Orion, once he realized what was left unsaid.

"Don't forget the wide variety of hexes and curses they've countered, some of which had been deemed incurable or undeflectable," added Hikari, with a tone darkened from exactly what spells those where.

"And the protection spells around their homes mirror some of the best damn fortresses in the Union." Melissa now looked extremely speculative. "And those inventions are pure genius."

"Have you ever considered Mage Lord status?" Brady finished, and there was a beat of silence.

"Fuck me," croaked out Fred, and it was a sentiment shared by all seven of them. "Mage Lord?"

"I don't think...  We're not..." Justin tried to find the words, but he couldn't. "I don't think we're in that kind of...  We don't have the—"

Brady chuckled deeply. "You haven't much contact with the magical community, have you?"

"We thought—"

The former Orange Fire Ranger only shook his head. "You should consider it; it'll greatly help your cause.  But—It's a matter for you to figure out yourself.  We've stayed here long enough as is." The oldest Ranger there looked over all the assembled and nodded once. "We don't have any more time."

As one, the former Shadow Elementalist Rangers stepped forward. "All we can do is offer you the same gift which Lan and Lance gave Nico." There were only quick acceptances in their wake.

"Good bye."

The same whisper came from all fourteen as they slowly vanished, and their departure left tears which overcame any shock.  Justin turned to Jace, but the teen simply moved away from them and warped away.

He instead buried his face into Fred's chest, and he breathed in deeply.  He tried not to shudder at how warm the red crystal felt at his collarbone, or at the how Jake's knowledge of Red Magic, as well as Brady's Orange Magic, entered him.

But...  He felt more at peace now than ever.  He'd found his purpose again, and the weights of fourteen Rangers didn't seem to hold him down any longer.  The Red Dragon, nestled alongside his Orange Phoenix, gave him strength as well.

Standing with Fred's arm supporting him, Justin lashed out with a magical signal. "Dark Elementalist Rangers!  Heed my call!  No longer can you hide behind your generals; now it is you yourselves who must step up and face us!"

Then a slow whisper came back, carried by the wind. "We accept the challenge.  You have done well to get to us; but now the true battle begins."

There was a grin on his face, tempered by his will. "Bring it."

No reply came, but there was a general sentiment in the air.

The real War had just begun.


End file.
